King Annette: Urgent Debates — Transport Funding—Replacement of Regional Fuel Tax with Increased Fuel Excise Duty and Road-user Charges 
King Annette: Urgent Debates — Transport Funding—Replacement of Regional Fuel Tax with Increased Fuel Excise Duty and Road-user Charges 
[Volume:653;Page:1987] 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Deputy Leader—Labour) 
: 
 First I congratulate the Hon Darren Hughes on bringing this issue to the urgent attention of the House today. It is an urgent issue for New Zealanders and it needs to be brought to the attention of the House. Before I address the substantial issue I will respond to some of the speeches we have already heard today. I would particularly like to respond to John Boscawen from the ACT Party who said he was an Aucklander. I believe he came from the Hawke’s Bay to Auckland but he failed to mention anything about the Hawke’s Bay and whether it got anything out of this package. He said that nothing happened in Auckland for 9 years. All I can say to Mr Boscawen is that he must have been driving with his eyes shut because over the last 9 years there have been huge improvements in the roads of Auckland. That was because the previous Labour Government acknowledged that throughout the 1990s Auckland was underfunded by the National Land Transport Fund and we increased the amount that went into Auckland over the last 9 years. Maybe Mr Boscawen does not know but none of the western ring route was started under a National Government—not one road. If members look at Auckland now they will see that most of it is completed with the Waterview Connection the major part that has to be completed. 
I also say to Mr Boscawen that we had already announced a third harbour crossing last year. The work had been undertaken for the third harbour crossing because it will be needed in the future—that happened under a Labour Government. So if we are going to talk about transport let us have the facts on the table. There was no Albany to Puhoi road under a National Government. In fact National refused to do that road. It was done under a Labour Government only on the condition it would be brought forward if people would pay a toll to go on that road which is something National said it believed in but it did not put in place legislation for it to happen. That happened under a Labour Government. 
Mr Boscawen said that Transmission Gully was going ahead only because of the National Government. I hope that when Peter Dunne speaks he tells the full story about what happened in relation to Transmission Gully under a Labour Government. The work that has been done on preparing for that road was ignored for 30 years but when we became the Government we said “Let’s take it seriously.” and $80 million has been committed to the geotechnical work to see whether it is possible. We also have a route for that road if it is going to be done that is cheaper than the original designation. That happened under a Labour Government—Mr Boscawen probably did not know that either. 
Mr Boscawen said that he knows a lot about integrated ticketing. There was no ability to have integrated ticketing until we passed legislation to allow it to happen. I thank the ACT members for supporting our legislation. It was never passed under a National Government but it happened with the help of the Green Party the ACT Party and the Maori Party and it enabled Labour to put in place a regime that allows for much better public transport. 
I also listened very carefully to the Hon Tariana Turia. I thank the Maori Party because it did support a regional fuel tax for New Zealand on the grounds that it would be shared between State highways and public transport. That is why the Maori Party voted for it and that is what we wanted. I believe that Tariana Turia is right to be concerned about what will happen to public transport in New Zealand. Everywhere I go I am told that the new Minister of Transport has one interest alone and that is State highways—State highways at the expense of public transport and at the expense of so much that is happening in transport that had already been announced. 
Paul Quinn 
: Rubbish! Absolute rubbish! 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I realise that Paul Quinn has not looked at what has been announced by his Government today. He has not read a single thing because if he had he would know that what the National Government is doing today is at the expense of many other parts of the transport system. Let us have a look at it. Public transport is cut under the new Government policy statement announced by Steven Joyce. Public infrastructure has been cut under the policy announced by Steven Joyce. Walking and cycling facilities will be cut by that Minister. Members should listen to this in relation to the renewal of State highways. Steven Joyce says that it is so important to have State highways—but for goodness’ sake let us not keep them in good condition; for goodness’ sake let us not renew them! He will let them fall apart and he will cut the money going into the renewal of State highways and cut the maintenance for their operation. 
Paul Quinn 
: She’s reading from the “Little Red Book”. 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I can tell Mr Quinn that I am reading from his Minister’s list and I can tell him that he has never read it. The ignorance coming from that member’s mouth is huge. 
 Let me tell those members something else. Under the new National Government’s policy maintenance has been cut to local roads. What I know as a former Minister of Transport is that if there was one issue that rural New Zealand and our local provincial mayors were worried about it would be the maintenance of their local roads. They advocated up and down New Zealand for more money for the maintenance of local roads. Funding has been cut by a National Government’s new policy statement—so much for rural New Zealand; so much for provincial New Zealand! 
I have to say that one area that will speak up loudly when it gets to grips with this measure will be Southland. I visited the Southland District Council and it said that what it needs money for is the maintenance of local roads due to the big expansion of dairying in Southland and the use of big trucks on local roads which are being cut out faster than ever before. Southland wanted money put into the maintenance of local roads. It is has been cut in the Government’s policy statement announced by Mr Joyce. 
Here is something that I think is an absolute crying shame. Labour set about to put in place a sea freight strategy for New Zealand so that we could actually move some freight around New Zealand domestically by sea. Our domestic sea freight with local ships had almost died out in this country from the 1990s onwards but we set about rebuilding domestic sea freight delivery in this country along with roads along with the trucks on the roads and along with rail and the sea. Let us take the example of Japan. It moves much more of its freight by sea—bulk amounts of freight can be moved by sea. So we said: “Let’s rebuild our domestic sea freight strategy in New Zealand.” and we set about to do that. Labour worked with the Shipping Federation worked with the unions worked with the ship owners and worked with the port companies and we put in place a strategy to bring back sea freight delivery in New Zealand. 
I tell members to have a look at the Government policy statement. It has removed the money and $1 million—one miserable million—is available for domestic sea freight in New Zealand. I have already received the emails from the Shipping Federation. We will receive many more when it gets wind of this. All the work that was done that was planned and that was consulted on has been wiped out. This money has gone to State highways to satisfy the Government’s electoral needs. It has nothing to do with the needs of New Zealand. 
Then the Government decided to cut $50 million out of road policing. What is road policing about? It is not about tickets as Mr Quinn would have one believe; it is about keeping the roads safe for New Zealanders. Over 400 people are killed on New Zealand roads every year. More children die on our roads than from any other cause of death in New Zealand. So what does this Government do? It cuts $50 million out of road safety in New Zealand to put it into the highways that it believes will bring it votes. Shame on the National Government! It is all about trying to look like it is doing something so it announces a list of seven highways of significance in New Zealand. What else has National done? Absolutely nothing! There is no money no timetable—just a list of seven priorities. I have to tell this House that that same list has been announced at least three times this year alone. As Guyon Espiner said three times this year alone National has announced a list. [ 
Interruption 
] Have I finished? No I am enjoying myself and no one else needs to take a call!