Labour Will Never Fix Auckland's Transport Woes

Thursday 4 Dec 2003 Deborah Coddington Press Releases -- Transport

ACT predicts Labour's transport package for Auckland - to be announced next Thursday - will do zilch to solve the city's gridlock, ACT New Zealand Transport Spokesman Deborah Coddington said today.

"Instead it will be an excuse for Labour to increase petrol taxes, allow local bodies to raise rates, and try to bribe the Auckland voters.

"The Government will also include a contribution from its coffers. But no amount of money from Dr Cullen - $50 million or $500 million - will fix the roads while this Government refuses to fix the Resource Management Act.

"Today Wayne Donnelly, Chief Executive of Transfund, admitted to the Transport Select Committee that Transfund raised $225 million from motorists which it couldn't spend on the roads because of resource consent delays.

"Other factors causing the delays were property acquisitions, and 'Government requested review of major projects'.

"In other words, this interfering Labour Government - which loves to pull up trees and examine their roots to see how they grow - has returned to parish pump politics. Roads are re-prioritised according to political advantage.

"Aucklanders are furious that their roads have not been fixed, despite this Government raising petrol taxes for that very reason. Mr Donnelly even admitted that Transfund 'could well be facing the same surplus this time next year'.

"Now we see a situation where even when quarter of a billion dollars is available, it can't be spent because this Government insists on green-plated and politically expedient transport projects.

"Only a centre-right government, with its commitment to economic prosperity and the freedom that cars give individuals, will solve Auckland's gridlock," Miss Coddington said.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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