The Muster- Joseph Mooney: A Quieter Week In Prospect

Local MP Joseph Mooney looks at political happenings in the south.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Much, that says the Master George Sarah good as the
music the song there is you talk too much, But
arguably our next guest dialogue is a keita being in
a job essentially. Joseph Mooney, MP for Southland, joins us,

(00:21):
Good afternoon, Joseph.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yeah, I'll try not to talk too much.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
That's the whole point of what your job is, suppose
is just communication.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
It's very important opponent of it for sure.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Absolutely hell thing's been anyway, Joseph over the last couple
of weeks.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, I've got mate, We've we've had a couple of
a couple more weeks from Parliament and have some good
stuff going through the house, you know, including around building
consents and sort of things put a building action. In fact,
the Southland has got some of the strongest building growth
in the country, you know. It's a reflective of strong
economic growth that we've been experiencing. Are like other parts

(01:02):
of the country. So I think the mains're still challenging,
but we've had a lot of good, good signs come
out of the South and and one of things one
of the sort of changes we've been putting in place
to make it easier for building is to change change
the liability for councils from the consent projects because currently,
if something goes wrong with the way that something's built,

(01:23):
then you know, people look for someone to pay for
it basically, and the end of the line of the
councils a aka the rate payers. And you know, one
example that the Minister used last week was wasn't Queensland
with ratepayers are potentially on the hook for around one
hundred sixty million dollars. You know, that's just absolutely massively
blow the rates out and change its changing it too

(01:44):
what's called proportionate liability, which means that each industry wion
only be response, will be physically you know, will be
responsible to pay for what has been responsible for doing
so they will significantly reduce risks to councils and therefore
to rate payers and therefore behind that it should make
it a lot easier for councils to approve projects rather
than you taking this really lengthy risk approach process. And

(02:08):
now the other side is as just around the whole
conceiting processes building cents. Earlier, the government put in place
targets to do those a whole lot faster and publish
results and it's been a really market improvement, and so
now I'm doing the same thing for inspections' so on
councils to approve it, you know, to inspect properties within

(02:30):
eighty eighty percent of them within three days, and then
we'll be publishing the results. Those really transparent with those
goals have been achieved or not. Nothing like having a
goal to cancel and focus on now.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
But you're honest, I'm a bit puzzled, Joseph. You say
that councils must complete eighty percent of inspections within three days.
Is this on a new dwelling as such or in
what context?

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah? It does, yep, yep. It starts. You know when
someone's when a builders building a property or extension or
whatever it is, then they need, you know, they need
to have that inspected before they can get signed off.
And you know that you can the project can be finished.
So once that's you know, applications process been put put

(03:15):
through and we want them to be expected within three days,
and you know that's it's so it's just it's you know,
eighty eight percent is obviously gonna be something's gonna be
a bit harder'll take a bit longer, but a percent
is a good goal, we think, and and we'll be
publishing the results to see whether are meat or not.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
So what's happening this week, it sounds is that there's
a bit of the lull in parliament because in your
own words, get to reintroduce yourself to the two family again.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
Yeah, yeah, no, well that's that's my top draph here
and it is exactly right, yep. No, it's a chance
to from my families will remember who I am because
you know, during a parliamentary sitting block its died the
two or three weeks and you're away from the majority
of it. It's away from home, from the droid of it.
And and Wellington were sort of the type of a

(04:06):
day in Wellington's from about seven one and to ten
o'clock at night minimum, so we know we sort of
we have long, long days and nights and then place
and then get home and see the family. So we
don't have partments soon this week, so it's a chance
to see the family and catch up with a few
other things in the literate. Well, I think you know,
both of us live in this region because it's the

(04:27):
place we love and it's home for us, you know,
I'm not I'm not going to still throw the stones
at Wellington, but it's it's not the place for me.
But you know, it's an important plays and an important
role and you know, people who love that you love it,
and you know, we ultimately want all of the New
Zealander to do well. But at the stay at the stage,
it's south of Otago that are really driving the economic

(04:49):
growth story in New Zealand, and it's a good story
and other people are noticing around the country, but we
want we want that same growth story, you know, spreading
across the country because you know, when the whole country
does well, that's good for all of us.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
No, we're allowed to be parachial down here, Joseph Is
while we live down here, is it not?

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Oh well, I am here because I think is the
best place in the country. But you know, and I
tend to tell it to run regularly, but I've got it.
But I've got to keep in mind that everyone's passionate
about the bit of the world. And ultimately, you know,
when you if you go overseas, you know you don't
represent your region per se, you represent the whole country.
And it's something that somebody to keep in mind is

(05:29):
we fight hard for our region, but we also fight
half in New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
Absolutely. Joseph. Hey, well leave it there mate, you enjoyed
the week off. Always good to catch up.

Speaker 2 (05:38):
Good mate, Cheers Yaggy Baggy, yaggity y.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Joseph Mooney, MP for Southland, Ben Dooley is up next.
This is the muster on hockn We