The Minister outlines a $350,000 program to attract more taxi drivers, including subsidies for training and enticing interstate drivers, to address driver shortages due to WA's booming economy.

AnsweredQoN 148Legislative Assembly
Asked
3 April 2008
Portfolio
Planning and Infrastructure

QuestionView source ↗

TAXI SERVICES 148. Mr P.W. ANDREWS to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure: Can the minister advise the house of the latest development to improve taxi services in Western Australia? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member very much for the question and for the work he has done in chairing the consumer committee that looks after taxi services. As members know, Western Australia is again leading Australia in the reform process. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is cheaper to catch a taxi in Western Australia than anywhere else in Australia. Imagine what it would be like — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order the member for South Perth and the member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.
TAXI SERVICES
Can the minister advise the house of the latest development to improve taxi services in Western Australia? Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member very much for the question and for the work he has done in chairing the consumer committee that looks after taxi services. As members know, Western Australia is again leading Australia in the reform process. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is cheaper to catch a taxi in Western Australia than anywhere else in Australia. Imagine what it would be like — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order the member for South Perth and the member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN replied: I thank the member very much for the question and for the work he has done in chairing the consumer committee that looks after taxi services. As members know, Western Australia is again leading Australia in the reform process. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is cheaper to catch a taxi in Western Australia than anywhere else in Australia. Imagine what it would be like — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order the member for South Perth and the member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.
I thank the member very much for the question and for the work he has done in chairing the consumer committee that looks after taxi services. As members know, Western Australia is again leading Australia in the reform process. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is cheaper to catch a taxi in Western Australia than anywhere else in Australia. Imagine what it would be like — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order the member for South Perth and the member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is cheaper to catch a taxi in Western Australia than anywhere else in Australia. Imagine what it would be like — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order the member for South Perth and the member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is cheaper to catch a taxi in Western Australia than anywhere else in Australia. Imagine what it would be like — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order the member for South Perth and the member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : It is cheaper to catch a taxi in Western Australia than anywhere else in Australia. Imagine what it would be like — Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order the member for South Perth and the member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order the member for South Perth and the member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.
The SPEAKER : I call to order the member for South Perth and the member for Roe. Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.
Ms A.J.G. MacTIERNAN : Of course, when there is such a demand for labour in Western Australia because of our booming economy, it is hard to get taxi drivers. It is not exactly the most glamorous job. The government has been very successful in massively increasing the size of the taxi fleet by around 70 per cent. What the government is now trying to do through its latest set of initiatives is to get more drivers into the system to help ensure that all the plates that are out there are operational for as long as possible. The government is today announcing a $350 000 program to entice more people into the industry by assisting with training. We are setting aside $174 000 to provide for the training of interstate drivers. We will try to entice taxi drivers from Melbourne to Western Australia and will pay for the post-mutual recognition training that they will require to get a licence to drive taxis in Western Australia. We are also offering support for 400 new WA applicants who want to become taxi drivers. We will be paying a 50 per cent subsidy to anyone who wants to take up the challenges of obtaining a taxi licence. The government continues to put a great deal of innovation into the taxi industry. In the extraordinary circumstances in which Western Australia finds itself, the government is doing pretty well at getting more and more taxis onto the road.

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