Clark DavidHon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): How quickly that member has settled in so comfortably to the worst aspects of negativity that characterise an Opposition. Listen to him bleat on about the things that he is opposed to that he doesn't like and that he doesn't want to see. But where's his vision? Where is the vision of the Opposition? How do they propose to solve the $6 billion hole that they've left behind in Auckland transport—unfunded for 10 years; that lack of infrastructure—it's a disgrace. That negativity.The member says well he just wants Auckland to get ahead. He spent some time waxing on about Auckland getting ahead. This situation currently as we have it in Auckland sees Aucklanders sitting in queues in their cars going nowhere—that is not getting ahead; that is the opposite of getting ahead.The interesting thing is that businesses want it—businesses want it. The other interesting thing though is Mr Hudson was right in one respect. He was optimistic on one point and I found it very telling. He talked quite a bit about the initial duration of 10 years. He said that this was not limited to 10 years—this was his argument—because Auckland could come back in 10 years' time and ask the Government to renew it; democracy in action. The wonderfully optimistic thing that he has in that assumption is that it will still be a coalition Government on this side of the House in 10 years that will be making that decision. So I want to thank him for his optimism in that respect because that is the one high point in what was otherwise a very negative speech. He's anticipating a Government that would honour this in 10 years' time and want to see it continued if that's what the people of Auckland wanted.Let's not forget that this is about what the people of Auckland want. This process requires the council of Auckland—democratically elected and empowered by new Subpart 3 to be inserted into Part 2 of the Land Transport Management Act 2003. It enables them to have a proposal that sets out a tax rate and come to central government requesting support. The democratically elected council of Auckland requesting support for a proposal that would benefit their citizens. It doesn't get any better than that in terms of making sure this is about doing what Auckland wants and Auckland wants to have the infrastructure. Aucklanders are tired of sitting in traffic and I don't blame them.I want to talk about briefly when I was a young thing living in Auckland. I grew up in Auckland. It's a dark secret for the member for Dunedin North to confess that he was born in Auckland and grew up there but it's true.Hon Member: You'll be kicked out.Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: I grew up south-east of the city in a little village called Beachlands. Fine place—it's still there. It looks very different from when I lived there I have to say.Hon Member: A very good place.Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: There were open drains there were baches and people walked to school in bare feet. And when I've visited since I have to say—the honourable member opposite is the local MP and I've seen him about his business there. It's now quite a wealthy place it's fair to say. Its local citizens have nice neat kerbs around the footpaths and they have quite high incomes and they have a golf course and they have a marina and so on. But when I was a child of 16 or 17 as I learnt to drive I would drive into town 20 kilometres through farmland on the open road and typically drive at around 100 kilometres an hour—I'll say around" to preserve my reputation as a cautious and circumspect individual. Then I would enter the motorway at Ōtara and I would drive into town another 20 kilometres also at an open road speed because that was possible not so long ago when I was a young man. Not very long ago at all and yet now—now a few years on—it would be impossible to drive to town in the one hour it used to take me to get into town from Beachlands.It would take a lot longer than that. I hazard it'd be pretty difficult to do it in an hour and a half. It'd be difficult to do it in an hour and a half these days and that's because the motorway is clogged up. It's because of urban sprawl. It's because there's a cost to growth when the appropriate infrastructure is not put in place and meeting the marginal cost of growth is what this plan is all about. It's about making sure that the infrastructure is put in place to support the growth of a growing city. And so I'm thrilled that we're putting this in place. I'm thrilled that we're putting it in place to solve Auckland's problems. It is a disgrace though that that $6 billion hole was left by the previous Government.This regional fuel tax won't apply to natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. It just applies to petrol and diesel. It will be collected at the distribution level. The funding will be going towards capital expenditure and associated debt repayment. It will have a maximum rate of 10c per litre of fuel and that maximum duration of 10 years that we covered off earlier and it could be reviewed by the council before expiry if the council wishes to extend it. As we've noted earlier the optimism of the member opposite that it would be a receptive Government to that at review is noted and on record. But the modelling says that this could result in an additional $150 million to $170 million a year to spend on infrastructure. That will make a real difference to a city that has been brought to a standstill by the failure of planning by the previous Government.I think Aucklanders as a whole will be grateful when they have the option also of alternate forms of transport because there's nothing more regressive than sitting in a car. If you don't have a lot of money you're sitting there chewing through the petrol in the tank and going nowhere. New Zealanders and Aucklanders in particular want to be going somewhere. They want as small-business people to be able to travel around and meet other people. They want as ordinary citizens to be able to live a good life in a world-class city and this bill facilitates Auckland as a world-class competitive city where businesses can choose to locate. A world-class city requires world-class transport infrastructure so that citizens at every level can get about the city can make their contribution and can enjoy the life of a good international competitive city.If we think about great cities around the world it is a common feature that they invest in infrastructure. I can remember visiting Germany visiting Berlin about a decade ago and the cranes everywhere as that city expanded. It has become a city that is celebrated for its great infrastructure. I can remember visiting Barcelona when I was a young man and la Sagrada Familia there being built up. I've seen photos since and it's gone further—that icon that draws people from around the world that makes them proud to belong to a city with great infrastructure. Great infrastructure is a feature of truly great cities.It's important to note that this bill holds Auckland Council to account as well. They will be accountable. They can't just start projects. They've got to complete them on time they've got to complete them on budget they've got to come with a plan to joint Ministers and the bill provides Crown oversight of the revenue raised to make sure that things are being delivered on as expected and to make sure there are tight controls on the use of revenue. There's a ministerial review procedure and ongoing public reporting to provide transparency to the public. It's a very good bill and I congratulate the member on bringing it to the House. It's thorough. It is a bill that lays things out clearly that provides clear accountabilities so that those who are contributing can see the benefits of the infrastructure they are contributing to and so that they can take pride in helping to build a truly great city. It stands in stark contrast to the previous Government's failure to invest in infrastructure and to the frustrations that Aucklanders feel today and that those of us that visit the city regularly on business feel.I know that when I travel to Auckland I can schedule two three—maybe four if I'm lucky—meetings depending on how far I have to travel across the city. When I'm in Dunedin I can schedule 14 meetings in a day. It's just a different world and I don't think that Aucklanders should have to suffer because of the visionless nature of the previous Government. I think this bill brings us finally into the 21st century to have a 21st century city that has vision that has clarity about its future that knows it can afford the infrastructure it needs and that can look forward to becoming a greater city still. I congratulate the member once again on bringing this bill to the House and I look forward to seeing its progress through the House. I look forward to seeing Aucklanders enjoy the infrastructure they deserve but were deprived of by the previous Government. This is a great bill and I recommend it to this House."