Brown SimeonSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): Thank you very much Mr Assistant Speaker. It's a pleasure to be able to take a call on the Land Transport Management (Regional Fuel Tax) Amendment Bill.We just heard from the member for Mt Roskill who described me as the member for Botany but I'd like to just acknowledge the member for Botany who's here in the House. It's good to see you here.Jami-Lee Ross: I was the one that beat you!SIMEON BROWN: That's right. I think there's a bit of history between the two of you.So we've heard lots about vision and intention and purpose and all of those very kind and big words from the members opposite. We've even heard from the Minister that this is a down payment on our Government's behalf. I've heard him say that at least twice in this debate. Well I'm sorry Minister Phil Twyford but this is not a down payment on the Government's behalf. This will be a down payment on the taxpayers of Auckland who will be forced to pay this tax which you will be working on with the council in Auckland to make them pay.So we've also heard from other members in this debate—David Clark saying I'm glad we're putting this in place." He is glad for another tax because that's what this Government's good at. "Let's tax this." is probably the best slogan to describe this new Government.We've also heard from other members talking about the different projects which they're hoping that they'll get from this money. We've heard a list MP in the Labour Party talk about a problem up in Rodney but there's no guarantee because there's no understanding and there's no description of where this money will be going to. There has been no list of projects provided to Aucklanders. There's no list of projects in the legislation as to what this will be going towards.We're now in a situation where we're being asked to give a blank cheque of money to the council so that they can spend it on what they and the Government decide to spend the money on. But we know that this is not needed. Auckland Council has increased its costs by over $800 million over the last four years. There's been a huge growth in the bureaucracy and it needs to get its costs under control so that it can fund the infrastructure and the transport needs—and we know that they can do this.We also know that this process has been a sham. We heard the member opposite talk about how the council is already consulting on a regional fuel tax. Well if you read the legislation it says the council should consult on the regional fuel tax once the legislation's in place. Well this seems to be the cart before the horse. The council's already out there consulting on a tax which they have built into their budgets. They've built this tax into their budget so the consultation asking Aucklanders for their views is an absolute sham because they've already banked the cash and are not being genuine in asking Aucklanders actually what they think on this legislation.Yes I do represent an electorate in east Auckland: the great electorate of Pakuranga. We heard Michael Wood talk about the Auckland-Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative project. Well I'm sorry to tell the member but that's already funded under the current plans and it's already in the plans. So the motorists in my electorate who will be forced to pay this tax will be receiving no benefit from it whatsoever. We'll continue to see money being poured into the city centre with less money going out into the suburbs.Hon Phil Twyford: How do you know?SIMEON BROWN: We don't know. We don't know what's—Hon Phil Twyford: Then why do you say it?SIMEON BROWN: Because we're continuing to see the same old council providing the same old solutions—and one of those solutions is a tramline up the Prime Minister's electorate—Hon Phil Twyford: You're making it up.SIMEON BROWN: —which has a benefit-cost ratio of less than—ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): Order! No I'm not making it up. Don't bring me into the debate.SIMEON BROWN: Thank you Mr Assistant Speaker. I wouldn't try to do that.We know that one of the projects which has been talked about has been a tramline up Dominion Road to the airport which will take about an hour to get tourists from the airplane into the city when it takes 20 minutes to go up the Waterview tunnel which was built under the National Government.Earlier in the debate another member talked about how the National Government could only build a few highways on the fringe of Auckland Christchurch and Wellington. Well I'd like to remind them again of the Waterview tunnel which is three lanes through the middle of Auckland City and again through the Mt Albert electorate. I think that's something which actually has made a real difference in Aucklanders' lives and I think we need to continue to invest in projects like that.So the National Party's opposed to this piece of legislation. Transport policy needs to be focused not just on finding more money but on actually finding better solutions and also on Auckland Council cutting costs reprioritising money and making sure it's investing it in the right places. Thank you very much Mr Assistant Speaker.ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Adrian Rurawhe): This is a split call—5 minutes David Seymour."