8. PAUL QUINN (National) to the Minister of Transport: What reports has he received on yesterday’s announcement of a strategic plan for the State Highway 1 Wellington to Levin corridor?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Transport) : I have seen many reports in the last 24 hours, mostly welcoming yesterday’s announcement. The Mayor of Porirua, Jenny Brash, said Transmission Gully provides better community and environmental outcomes. The Greater Wellington chair, Fran Wilde, said it is a great Christmas present for the whole region. Even the member opposite, the Hon Darren Hughes, said that the decision to give the go-ahead to the Transmission Gully project is welcome news for motorists in the Wellington region. Of course, not everybody is happy, and I recognise different opinions. But after decades and decades of debate, we finally have a strategic plan from Wellington all the way to Levin that makes sense and has a funding track to enable it to be built.

Mr SPEAKER: Supplementary question, the Hon Darren Hughes.

Hon Darren Hughes: Did the member want to ask a supplementary question to his primary question?

Mr SPEAKER: The member has called for a supplementary question.

Sue Kedgley: I seek leave to table a Ministry of Transport document dated 10 December 2008, which shows that Transmission Gully will increase congestion, will reduce rail patronage by 13 percent, and could take substantially longer to open than the coastal route.

Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection.

• Document, by leave, laid on the Table of the House.

Hon Darren Hughes: Does his confirmation that if there is to be a toll for Transmission Gully it will be around $3 mean that the Government will look at a public-private partnership for the construction of that road?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I have not confirmed that there will be a toll. I have said that there quite probably will be a toll, and I have indicated it would be in the order of $2 to $3 in today’s money. I do not necessarily expect that it will be a public-private partnership, because the funding is mostly in place for the project and tolling would pay only a small proportion of the cost, although every bit helps when we are talking about $1 billion. But we will see how that all develops and which construction contract arrangements proceed as the agency goes through its work.

Hon Peter Dunne: What cognisance did the Minister take of the provisions of the United Future - National confidence and supply agreement, which strongly supported the construction of Transmission Gully?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am very pleased that the National Party, along with United Future and other support parties, has secured the funding necessary to build the largest piece of the Wellington to Levin corridor. The member for Ōhariu has been an outspoken supporter of Transmission Gully, and I thank him for his tireless advocacy. As the member will know better than me, over the last 9 years there has been plan after plan for this project, and only this Government has stepped up to put a funding track in place that can allow it to be built.

Hon Darren Hughes: Is he aware of the considerable local opposition in Kapiti to turning a local Western Link Road, the construction of which is just months away, into a four-lane 100-kilometre-an-hour Western Link expressway? I have received 1,000 responses to it in just the last 2 days, with 76 percent of people supporting my position, and just 24 percent of people supporting National’s position.

Hon STEVEN JOYCE: It is not a popularity contest; it is building the best strategic plan for the highway through the region. It is very important that we do so. However, I have also received lots of correspondence in the last couple of days, including from various people who have offered their support and are encouraged that the Government has made a decision. One person sent me his copy of Darren Hughes’ newsletter thing.

Hon Nathan Guy: What did it say?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE: It said that Labour had 9 years in Government and did nothing. There were reports after reports but nothing happened. That is what he wrote on Darren’s survey form.

Hon Nathan Guy: Does this progressive and visionary Government have the funding available to follow through on the commitment to build Transmission Gully and the other Wellington roads of national significance projects?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Yes. The previous Labour Government committed only $400 million to Transmission Gully and asked the region to somehow fund the rest. This Government has stepped up with $11 billion in new State highway infrastructure and is getting the job done.