A WA parliamentary question addresses concerns that school bus operators were coerced into signing unfavorable contracts, leading to many contracts being put on the open market. The Minister refutes this, claiming the contracts are lucrative and operators are selling for profit.

AnsweredQoN 91Legislative Assembly
Asked
23 March 2004
Portfolio
Planning and Infrastructure

QuestionView source ↗

I ask a supplementary question. Is the minister aware that 123 school bus contracts are now on the open market because these school bus operators were bullied into signing a punitive contract? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN

AnswerView source ↗

We have always said to all bus contractors that it is their choice: they can stay on the existing regime - Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The reality of why there are so many contracts on the market is that there is now a fortune to be made out of these contracts. For the first time, they have security of tenure, and more money. They are very lucrative contracts. What we are seeing is a lot of profit-taking.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: We have always said to all bus contractors that it is their choice: they can stay on the existing regime - Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The reality of why there are so many contracts on the market is that there is now a fortune to be made out of these contracts. For the first time, they have security of tenure, and more money. They are very lucrative contracts. What we are seeing is a lot of profit-taking.
We have always said to all bus contractors that it is their choice: they can stay on the existing regime - Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The reality of why there are so many contracts on the market is that there is now a fortune to be made out of these contracts. For the first time, they have security of tenure, and more money. They are very lucrative contracts. What we are seeing is a lot of profit-taking.
Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The reality of why there are so many contracts on the market is that there is now a fortune to be made out of these contracts. For the first time, they have security of tenure, and more money. They are very lucrative contracts. What we are seeing is a lot of profit-taking.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: The reality of why there are so many contracts on the market is that there is now a fortune to be made out of these contracts. For the first time, they have security of tenure, and more money. They are very lucrative contracts. What we are seeing is a lot of profit-taking.

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