Housing, transport and health boost for Auckland

By BERNARD ORSMAN

For Auckland, this is a give-and-take Budget. There is more money for housing, hip and knee operations and transport. But motorists will pay a further 5.6c a litre for petrol at the pump.

The Government is spending $1.6 billion over the next 10 years to get Auckland moving, $900 million from existing petrol taxes siphoned into the consolidated fund and $720 million from the new petrol tax.

From next April, the price of a litre of petrol will rise by 5.6c and there will be an equivalent increase in road-user charges for light diesel vehicles.

High-priced housing in Auckland has led to the introduction of a new, higher accommodation supplement in central Auckland and the North Shore of between $145 and $225, coming into effect from April.

The Budget has also provided an extra 500 state houses for Auckland over the next three years, details of which will be announced by Housing Minister Steve Maharey next Wednesday in Henderson.

The Government has struggled to house low-income people in Auckland. It paid Auckland City Council $83 million in 2002 to buy nearly 1700 pensioner housing units. In a move designed to retain low-wage workers in the city, the Government this month mooted the idea of councils' introducing zoning for low-income housing.

An extra $70 million to double the number of hip and knee operations nationally within four years will see Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau District Health Boards performing an extra 800 operations over the next financial year. The boards expect to do 837 operations this year.

By 2008 they will be required to carry out 1425 more operations a year than they are doing at present.

Urban Affairs and Auckland Issues Minister Judith Tizard announced a $4 million package for Auckland to develop more sustainably.

The money will help councils plan for the Government's $1.6 billion transport package, which makes councils integrate transport planning with land use and growth and find ways of reducing school traffic.

What's in the Budget for Auckland

$1.6 billion over 10 years for transport.

A 5.6c-a-litre petrol tax increase from next April.

Higher accommodation supplement in central Auckland and North Shore.

500 extra state houses within three years.

800 extra hip and knee operations next financial year.

$4 million to help Auckland develop more sustainably.