Tizard Judith: Public Transport Management Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
Tizard Judith: Public Transport Management Bill — In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:650;Page:18791] 
Hon JUDITH TIZARD (Associate Minister of Transport) 
: 
 I am delighted to take a short call on this very important bill the Public Transport Management Bill. Auckland has been calling out for this legislation for many many years. There have been numerous attempts since the 1950s to get an adequate comprehensive system that Aucklanders can use with confidence in terms of times cleanliness efficiency and value for money for the taxpayers and the ratepayers of Auckland. I am delighted to be part of a Government that has listened to Auckland and has said that yes we do need to finish the roading network but just as important we need to provide public transport so that Aucklanders have an alternative so that we can continue to improve the air quality in Auckland and so we can provide value for money for Aucklanders. 
I am very sad to see the National members attacking this legislation. Following on from the very good speech made by my colleague the Hon Harry Duynhoven I ask National what they are talking about when they say that Aucklanders should be paying $50 a week in tolls but that they are opposed to public transport. I asked Jim McLay a former member of this House who is now the principal of Macquarie Bank and who is advocating toll roads in Auckland and advocating public-private partnerships where all the risk falls on Aucklanders whether he is advocating this policy that the National Party is pushing. National is attacking public transport while promoting Aucklanders having to pay a levy of $50 a week at least on toll roads and people will be forced back into their cars as there will be no adequate public transport. What is National’s interest in this? That is my question to National members because in my view this legislation is absolutely vital. 
We have seen Stagecoach—the main provider I will concede before Infratil took it over—declaring major bus routes as commercial routes so there is no subsidy on them and forcing everybody else who might need some support off those routes particularly those who link other suburban routes and are not the main carriers and then halfway through a contract they just say: “We’re not going to do this any more.” So suddenly the Auckland ratepayers needed to find I believe about $5 million as did the taxpayers to meet that. I say we need some security as taxpayers and as ratepayers that we are getting value for money and this bill is the first major step towards Auckland getting a really good public transport system that is value for money. 
It is my great pleasure to support this bill. I congratulate the Greens on their initiative in this. I believe that no carrier no public transport provider interested in providing a service and not interested in skimming the top off a service that is not comprehensive has anything to fear in this. It is about time we got proper comprehensive public transport in Auckland. It is part of our plan to provide sustainable value-for-money and fuel-efficient services that all Aucklanders can access so that we can do the intensification we need to do in people-friendly areas that are not cut through by motorways that are not working efficiently because people just sit in cars idling wasting fuel and wasting time. 
Everyone in Auckland talks about at least a billion dollars being the cost of congestion. That is people’s time and wasted fuel. Maurice Williamson is talking about that and he wants to add another $50 on to that impossible cost that many Aucklanders are already facing. This bill the Public Transport Management Bill gives Auckland the tools it needs in local regional and central government to actually provide value for money for taxpayers and ratepayers as well as for motorists. 
This bill is supported by the Auckland Regional Council and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority which was set up to finally deliver rather than have the constant political ping-pong we have had. Labour Government supporter Sir Dove-Myer Robinson had his policy on public transport; Rob Muldoon and the National Government came in and threw it out. The fourth Labour Government said it would work with Auckland and look at a decent public transport system; Ruth Richardson and all her cronies came in and chucked it out. It is time we had some sustainability in service provision and some value for money. That is what I am standing to support and that is why Labour-led Governments are delivering for Auckland and delivering value for taxpayers across New Zealand.