Genter Julie AnneHon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Associate Minister of Transport): Tēnā koe Madam Assistant Speaker. Tēnā koutou e Te Whare. I think that the speeches from the Opposition tonight really demonstrate why we're in the situation we're in which is one of a massive infrastructure deficit. The National Party are apparently opposed to investing in infrastructure. You can't really have it two ways. You can't really be complaining about Auckland Council increasing its costs and spending. You can't complain about—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Poto Williams): Order!Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: One can't complain about raising a regional fuel tax and then also say that one believes in investing in infrastructure. It's just not possible. Why? We have to pay for infrastructure but ironically strangely the National Opposition who are so opposed to a regional fuel tax were quite happy with raising fuel taxes across the country—successive years when they were in Government—and then spending most of the money on just a few urban highways mainly on the fringes of Auckland Hamilton Christchurch Wellington and Tauranga where they promptly made congestion worse. So they managed to spend billions of dollars congestion is no better and people are spending heaps of money owning cars stuck in traffic and paying for fuel. What this Government is simply doing is going back to that very sensible proposal that we campaigned for actually in 2007 so that we could invest in electrification of Auckland rail network: a regional fuel tax which enables the Auckland Council to raise revenue to help close the funding gap because—I'm sure no one over there in National who lives in Auckland has noticed this—actually there's been massive population growth in Auckland and we have to invest in infrastructure so that people have a way of getting around the city.Now we have to do more than that. We have to invest in housing and it's a shame that the National Opposition didn't find it in their hearts to care so much about low-income people when they were in Government because if they had they may have done something about the housing crisis in Auckland. They may not have spent so much money on tax cuts for the wealthiest New Zealanders and they may have actually done something about public transport in Auckland safe walking and cycling all of which make it easier for people to get to jobs to get to school to get to where they need to go. The Green Party supported the regional fuel tax when it was initially proposed back in the 2007 Budget because it was going to be spent on desperately needed public transport improvements for Auckland. Happily although the National Party got into power and they cancelled the regional fuel tax they weren't able to cancel the electrification of the rail line which they probably would have done if they could have. They ended up delaying it by several years and now we have a situation where we've had massive growth in the population massive growth on the rail network and on public transport and we're way behind where we need to be.So this Government is doing everything we possibly can to catch up but the reality is these sorts of infrastructure investments take years to plan and fund and get underway and our rail network is going to be at capacity before the City Rail Link is done because the National Party failed to invest in the City Rail Link when we knew it was needed several years ago. That project should have been started in 2015 and shame on National for ignoring the evidence and failing to invest in the City Rail Link. It's going to be a mess for years because of National—their short sightedness.In fact it's not like New Zealanders weren't paying tax. Oh they raised fuel taxes all over the country so people in Southland were paying more fuel tax even though most of the money was going on some urban fringe highways. So that's how much we can believe the National Opposition when they complain with all their little you know speaking points about why this bill is so bad. No this is good. We need to get on with it. We need to get back on track. I'm extremely proud to be supporting this Government which is finally going to take a sensible approach to transport investment and invest in the complements to the road network. What we need are better local roads better-maintained roads safer roads and people in our towns and cities need alternatives—Simeon Brown: Auckland Council's cutting its maintenance budget.Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: —so all those of those short trips that they're making like kids going to school their kids might actually be safe—Simeon Brown: It doesn't make them safe. There are more potholes.Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: —walking and cycling to school and then that would take heaps of cars off the road at peak time and free it up for those people who need to drive. I don't know if the member opposite who's trying to barrack me very gently has ever noticed but actually there's not really that much congestion during school holidays and so if we could actually prioritise safe walking and cycling around schools we would save tons of money we would save the time that people are wasting stuck in congestion we would reduce air pollution we would reduce carbon emissions and we would improve the health of our kids. Now that is a sensible policy and it's just a shame that his party didn't do anything about it for nine years.We are finally going to be investing in the rapid transit network that Aucklanders have told us that they want. Yes that includes rapid transit along Dominion Road from Wynyard Quarter all the way to the airport actually finally providing rapid transit to some of the South Auckland communities that have been neglected in the past nine years. It's going to go straight through Māngere and it's going to provide fantastic transport options all around the city. Of course we're going to have a south-east connection to the airport as well. We're going to have a north-west connection. It's an absolute travesty that the New Zealand Transport Agency was widening State Highway 16 and didn't even put a busway on it—didn't even put a busway. All that work for what? People are still stuck in their cars stuck in congestion.I don't want to talk about these crocodile tears from the National Party about the lowest-income people who they've never really shown any concern for before. But it is worth noting because I know there have been concerns from people who actually genuinely do care that perhaps a regional fuel tax is regressive. So let me explain why that is not the case. One might think it's the case but actually it turns out that the highest-income households own the most cars they spend the most time driving they're the most likely to drive at peak time. Low-income households own fewer cars even though the cars are older they tend to be smaller and in fact even the older small inefficient cars consume less fuel than the top 10 brand-new cars that are being imported right now into this country. So actually the people who are going to be paying the most fuel tax are not the lowest-income people.Now what is regressive is car dependence. Car dependence is when one does not have options. They are not able to access employment education or other opportunities without using a car and that means that households have to own more cars and it ends up costing them a whole lot more money than if they have fast integrated affordable public transport as an option or safe walking and cycling. On top of that car dependence costs us a lot more in terms of the land that is tied up for storing all the cars because there are three to four empty carparks everywhere in Auckland right now—everywhere in New Zealand right now—for every one that is being used. That's all the result of car dependence and it means that we have higher land costs and that's part of our problem with affordable land for housing within the Auckland urban area—those regressive parking rules that massively increase the cost of land housing and transport because people have to have a car just to get around.So I am very proud to be supporting this bill which is just one part of a very comprehensive plan to offer New Zealanders real choice—real choice—and that's going to be better for them it's going to be better for businesses it's going to be better for the climate. It is a massive win-win. It's better for the economy. I know that Ken Shirley has no idea how the economy really works. He just does a show for a couple of trucking companies and is probably just a fan of spending lots of money on a few ridiculous motorways. But even his own members are going to benefit from this policy and that's why it's so popular. It's actually across the board doing what people in Auckland have asked for. It's going to be popular outside of Auckland because people can look around and see that Auckland is actually going to be paying its fair share for its population growth and for its infrastructure. That's why it's an excellent policy and I think it's an absolute shame that the National Party Opposition can't see this but someday—someday—you will thank us because I know you also live in Auckland.