Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on the Government's plan to axe fuel taxes

The Government has unveiled a new plan designed to level the playing field for all motorists.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop's announced the Government plans to implement universal road user charges, to be paid like a bill.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this sounds like a good concept in theory, but there's some key flaws.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barry Soper, Senior political correspondence Here, Barry, Hello, good.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Afternoon, Heather. They can't overturn the any decision to reverse
the oil and gas band.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Just wait for it, Barry, You'll wait longer, not going
to I've heard him say, Okay, you can wait for
everybody else can hear the update and the tech. Now,
what do you make of the road user charges?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Well, you know, initially, like you, I think I quite
like the idea of them, but there are so many
sort of anomalies in the system. Like one of your
listeners pointed out, small cars like Suzuki Swift's are they're
not as hard on the road as a big ute
or you know, a heavy electric car, So there's a
problem there. But it is really open to being gamed

(00:43):
the system, and it is at the moment, and that's
because it's I guess a paper system as opposed to
an electronic system, and clearly they're working on that, Chris
Bishop causes they're going to be. It will be the
old system is outdated and a new system will be
in place. They'll allow digital ruck records, enabling more types

(01:05):
of electronic ruck devices, and some apparently are already built
into new cars, which is quite interesting that so they
can be adapted for it. But you know, he says
that in the end, you should be able to pay
your road user charger's bill like you pay your Netflix bill,
or like you pay any other bill once a month.

(01:28):
But you know what about those like you pointed out
that don't drive around with an unregistered car?

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, I mean then the problem with your Netflix spill
or the comparison is not a straight comparison, because if
you do not pay your Netflix bill, your Netflix is
not going to turn on, right, But if you do
not pay your ruck spill, you're just going to be
able to drive. Your car doesn't stop working, does it.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
And that's right. If you're unregistered, who's to know that
you're even on the road. That's the problem. So I
don't know how they're going to build and the checks
and balances, No doubt Chris Bishop will be able to
explain that all. So you know, the system is not
going to come into place in short order. I mean
they will, I think by next year legislation will be introduced,

(02:10):
but he says the following year, that's the year after
the election, the ruck system will be open for business.
Well whatever, that means. I guess he'll explain what it
does mean.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
In fact, So is the Pay Equity People Select Committee
starting next week?

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Yes, this is the People's Select Committee. And I was
going it's.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Got very Chinese Communist Party vibes about it, isn't it. Well,
People's Committee.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well that's right, and you just have to wonder what
it's going to achieve. They say they've got fifteen hundred
submissions that they'll be considering. Now, this committee was thought
up by Marilyn Wearing, who, of course some would say
cause the Schnapper or snap selection of Rob muldoon by

(02:55):
crossing the floor on the nuclear issue with the Labor
Party and got out of part Earliament the same year.
But so she's come back, she formed this committee and
they're going to have a rotating chair now. It's going
to begin next Monday. And guess who the first chair is.
She's been brought out of retirement. Recent retirement. Might say, Nana,

(03:16):
I'm ahuta. And you know, the thing about this pay
equity thing that people tend to lose face on is that,
you know, occupations being compared to other occupations that have
no resemblance to each other. So it's not a case
of necessarily women being paid less than the same occupation.

(03:38):
You can't compare policemen with I don't know, nurses or
mechanics or whatever. So you know, it's a silly system.
So the first hearing will be held next Monday. But
the interesting thing to me is I thought, well, who's
going to pay for this People's select Committee? Well, the
first meeting is at the National Library in Wellington next Monday,

(04:01):
so I guess it's pretty much self funding. But the
subsequent ones are going to be all online, so it's
not going to be that expensive to run.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
I see. Okay, now that woman who was used in
the Hobson's Pledge ad without her consent and without her
knowledge does have a fair case here to be upset.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
A woman called Alan Tummitty. I think it's terrible. You
imagine it. You're out on the road and you see
a poster with your own face on it endorsing something
saying that you're opposed to Maury Wards, and this woman
apparently is totally for Maori Wards and says that you
know it should never have been posted in this way.
Well she was apparently, it seems, with an agency that

(04:42):
had her photo on basically within the system and was
only meant to be used for editorial purposes, not for
advertising like this. So Hobson's pledge who put out these billboards,
they've apologized to the woman quite profusely and said they
didn't want to cause any upset. They thought it was
a stock photo that was able to be used, So

(05:05):
I don't think they can be blamed for it. But
of course you've got the Maldi party weighing on it.
The co leader Rivalry way to Tea. He says, to
use our beautiful Cooyer's photo or any other Maori intellectual
property to prop up a racist agenda, So he sees

(05:25):
it as being racist deliberately. So well, Hobson's pledge have
come out quite clearly and said it's not I wish.
Sometimes before he opens his mouth he thinks about what
is the background to these issues? Honestly?

Speaker 1 (05:39):
That man all right, Barry, Thanks very much, Barry so Per,
senior political correspondent.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
For more from Hither du Classy Allen Drive, listen live
to news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.