❓ Mr. Sutherland asks about the Transport Minister's taxi action plan, focusing on safety and service improvements. Mr. Buswell details initiatives addressing availability, standards, and security, including new plates, demerit points, compliance cars, rank upgrades, and camera upgrades.
AnsweredQoN 415Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
TAXI ACTION PLAN
Safety and service levels in the taxi industry were areas in which the previous Labor government failed miserably. Over the past several months I have noticed that the minister has addressed problems in the taxi industry. Can the minister please update the house on the details of this excellent taxi action plan? Mr T.R. BUSWELL
Safety and service levels in the taxi industry were areas in which the previous Labor government failed miserably. Over the past several months I have noticed that the minister has addressed problems in the taxi industry. Can the minister please update the house on the details of this excellent taxi action plan? Mr T.R. BUSWELL
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Mount Lawley for his question on taxis. It was probably in the first week of this parliamentary session that I laid out to the house the process that the government would be engaging in to improve taxi services in Western Australia. There was a taxi action plan based around delivering three outcomes: availability, improving standards and improving security. I will quickly touch on those because it has been a busy six months in taxi land. In relation to availability, the government immediately released 30 new plates. It has also given approval to release a pool of 300 additional plates, which will be brought into the market over coming months and probably coming years to deal in no small part with availability. Secondly, in relation to standards, we have done a number of things. We are working on introducing a demerit point system for drivers in a clear effort to identify and drive out of the industry that minority of drivers whose level of service standard is not acceptable. We are reviewing training and driver standards. Recently, out at Burswood Casino, we unveiled two new on-road compliance cars. They will be out on the taxi ranks inspecting vehicles and drivers on Friday and Saturday nights, when 40 per cent of taxi jobs in Perth happen. It is a great initiative to get taxi inspectors out from behind their desks in Brown Street and onto the street. I met the people who will be behind the wheel. They are very proud of the job they do in attempting to maintain standards. Those sorts of initiatives are well supported by the industry. In relation to safety, we have announced a $2 million upgrade to the secure Northbridge taxi rank. That rank is visited by over 1 000 taxis each Friday and Saturday night. It is important that it is a safe facility for passengers and drivers. We are working with drivers now to look at what we can do to make their vehicles safer. Mrs M.H. Roberts : When are you rolling out the cameras? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for Mount Lawley for his question on taxis. It was probably in the first week of this parliamentary session that I laid out to the house the process that the government would be engaging in to improve taxi services in Western Australia. There was a taxi action plan based around delivering three outcomes: availability, improving standards and improving security. I will quickly touch on those because it has been a busy six months in taxi land. In relation to availability, the government immediately released 30 new plates. It has also given approval to release a pool of 300 additional plates, which will be brought into the market over coming months and probably coming years to deal in no small part with availability. Secondly, in relation to standards, we have done a number of things. We are working on introducing a demerit point system for drivers in a clear effort to identify and drive out of the industry that minority of drivers whose level of service standard is not acceptable. We are reviewing training and driver standards. Recently, out at Burswood Casino, we unveiled two new on-road compliance cars. They will be out on the taxi ranks inspecting vehicles and drivers on Friday and Saturday nights, when 40 per cent of taxi jobs in Perth happen. It is a great initiative to get taxi inspectors out from behind their desks in Brown Street and onto the street. I met the people who will be behind the wheel. They are very proud of the job they do in attempting to maintain standards. Those sorts of initiatives are well supported by the industry. In relation to safety, we have announced a $2 million upgrade to the secure Northbridge taxi rank. That rank is visited by over 1 000 taxis each Friday and Saturday night. It is important that it is a safe facility for passengers and drivers. We are working with drivers now to look at what we can do to make their vehicles safer. Mrs M.H. Roberts : When are you rolling out the cameras? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
I thank the member for Mount Lawley for his question on taxis. It was probably in the first week of this parliamentary session that I laid out to the house the process that the government would be engaging in to improve taxi services in Western Australia. There was a taxi action plan based around delivering three outcomes: availability, improving standards and improving security. I will quickly touch on those because it has been a busy six months in taxi land. In relation to availability, the government immediately released 30 new plates. It has also given approval to release a pool of 300 additional plates, which will be brought into the market over coming months and probably coming years to deal in no small part with availability. Secondly, in relation to standards, we have done a number of things. We are working on introducing a demerit point system for drivers in a clear effort to identify and drive out of the industry that minority of drivers whose level of service standard is not acceptable. We are reviewing training and driver standards. Recently, out at Burswood Casino, we unveiled two new on-road compliance cars. They will be out on the taxi ranks inspecting vehicles and drivers on Friday and Saturday nights, when 40 per cent of taxi jobs in Perth happen. It is a great initiative to get taxi inspectors out from behind their desks in Brown Street and onto the street. I met the people who will be behind the wheel. They are very proud of the job they do in attempting to maintain standards. Those sorts of initiatives are well supported by the industry. In relation to safety, we have announced a $2 million upgrade to the secure Northbridge taxi rank. That rank is visited by over 1 000 taxis each Friday and Saturday night. It is important that it is a safe facility for passengers and drivers. We are working with drivers now to look at what we can do to make their vehicles safer. Mrs M.H. Roberts : When are you rolling out the cameras? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
In relation to safety, we have announced a $2 million upgrade to the secure Northbridge taxi rank. That rank is visited by over 1 000 taxis each Friday and Saturday night. It is important that it is a safe facility for passengers and drivers. We are working with drivers now to look at what we can do to make their vehicles safer. Mrs M.H. Roberts : When are you rolling out the cameras? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : When are you rolling out the cameras? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
[Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL replied: I thank the member for Mount Lawley for his question on taxis. It was probably in the first week of this parliamentary session that I laid out to the house the process that the government would be engaging in to improve taxi services in Western Australia. There was a taxi action plan based around delivering three outcomes: availability, improving standards and improving security. I will quickly touch on those because it has been a busy six months in taxi land. In relation to availability, the government immediately released 30 new plates. It has also given approval to release a pool of 300 additional plates, which will be brought into the market over coming months and probably coming years to deal in no small part with availability. Secondly, in relation to standards, we have done a number of things. We are working on introducing a demerit point system for drivers in a clear effort to identify and drive out of the industry that minority of drivers whose level of service standard is not acceptable. We are reviewing training and driver standards. Recently, out at Burswood Casino, we unveiled two new on-road compliance cars. They will be out on the taxi ranks inspecting vehicles and drivers on Friday and Saturday nights, when 40 per cent of taxi jobs in Perth happen. It is a great initiative to get taxi inspectors out from behind their desks in Brown Street and onto the street. I met the people who will be behind the wheel. They are very proud of the job they do in attempting to maintain standards. Those sorts of initiatives are well supported by the industry. In relation to safety, we have announced a $2 million upgrade to the secure Northbridge taxi rank. That rank is visited by over 1 000 taxis each Friday and Saturday night. It is important that it is a safe facility for passengers and drivers. We are working with drivers now to look at what we can do to make their vehicles safer. Mrs M.H. Roberts : When are you rolling out the cameras? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
I thank the member for Mount Lawley for his question on taxis. It was probably in the first week of this parliamentary session that I laid out to the house the process that the government would be engaging in to improve taxi services in Western Australia. There was a taxi action plan based around delivering three outcomes: availability, improving standards and improving security. I will quickly touch on those because it has been a busy six months in taxi land. In relation to availability, the government immediately released 30 new plates. It has also given approval to release a pool of 300 additional plates, which will be brought into the market over coming months and probably coming years to deal in no small part with availability. Secondly, in relation to standards, we have done a number of things. We are working on introducing a demerit point system for drivers in a clear effort to identify and drive out of the industry that minority of drivers whose level of service standard is not acceptable. We are reviewing training and driver standards. Recently, out at Burswood Casino, we unveiled two new on-road compliance cars. They will be out on the taxi ranks inspecting vehicles and drivers on Friday and Saturday nights, when 40 per cent of taxi jobs in Perth happen. It is a great initiative to get taxi inspectors out from behind their desks in Brown Street and onto the street. I met the people who will be behind the wheel. They are very proud of the job they do in attempting to maintain standards. Those sorts of initiatives are well supported by the industry. In relation to safety, we have announced a $2 million upgrade to the secure Northbridge taxi rank. That rank is visited by over 1 000 taxis each Friday and Saturday night. It is important that it is a safe facility for passengers and drivers. We are working with drivers now to look at what we can do to make their vehicles safer. Mrs M.H. Roberts : When are you rolling out the cameras? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
In relation to safety, we have announced a $2 million upgrade to the secure Northbridge taxi rank. That rank is visited by over 1 000 taxis each Friday and Saturday night. It is important that it is a safe facility for passengers and drivers. We are working with drivers now to look at what we can do to make their vehicles safer. Mrs M.H. Roberts : When are you rolling out the cameras? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : When are you rolling out the cameras? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I will get to that in a second. I am glad that the member for Midland asked about that. We are working with drivers to look at how we can help them. We are looking at a number of things, including driver security, barriers and, more importantly, a duress system. We are investigating how that duress system can be linked to the private security contractors that provide security to bus drivers. It would be an important initiative and will mean that security issues can be dealt with expeditiously and, hopefully, resolved quickly. Again, there is more work to be done, but it is well supported by the drivers that I met. The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
The last issue, which was a very good question from the member for Midland, is security cameras. The government announced some time ago that it would introduce a whole new standard for security cameras in Western Australia. Why? It is because this has been neglected over many years. Security cameras in taxis in Western Australia fail in 50 per cent of circumstances to provide images and footage to help the police in their investigations. This new system will be rolled out in July, as we have indicated. Under this new system cabs will be progressively fitted with two cameras inside and two cameras outside. Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July previously. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I said July; the member said 1 July! Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : You said 1 July. Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Let me pick myself off the ground after I was floored by the member’s brutal attack. The cameras will start being rolled out in July—J-U-L-Y, the next month! Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mrs M.H. Roberts : Why did you say 1 July previously? Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : Because that is the start of July. What has the member for Midland been on? And 1 July is July. The cameras are being rolled out in July. The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
The cameras will be better quality and they will store the images for longer. They will help make our cabs the safest cabs in Australia for both drivers and passengers. I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
I know I have done this in the house once before, but I will compare again that raft of policy initiatives for taxis with the two prominent press releases on cabs from the opposition. I will not dwell on the plan that would paint them all gold! That was to have cost over $10 million. Why? It was so that we could see them in the evening! That plan had the unanimous support of members opposite. Every time I get in a cab, the driver says, “Troy, why can’t I paint my cab gold so I can find it at night when I come out of the coffee shop?” That was ludicrous! Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr E.S. Ripper : What they say is, “Why is my electricity bill so high?” Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Mr T.R. BUSWELL : I have never had one cab driver say that to me, Leader of the Opposition. A lot of them reflect fondly on the former member for Armadale. A lot of them ask me why sports commentators talk about one percenters. We now know why. The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
The other plan related to the shadow Minister for Transport—the same person who wanted all the taxis painted gold—who said the other week, about the delivery of cameras in July, that there are unexplained delays. The reasons there are unexplained delays is that there are no delays! It is very hard to explain a delay when one does not exist. So, for once, he was right—the delays are unexplained because there are no delays. The security cameras will be rolled out in July, the cabs will not be painted gold, and the people of Western Australia will enjoy better access to safer vehicles delivering a better quality of service. Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
Government members: Hear, hear! [Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
[Interruption.] The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
The SPEAKER : Member for Midland, I will formally call you to order for the first time today—I think you know why. For those who might not know, there is, in this house, a rule, if you like, that we do not use mobile phones. I am going to consider what has happened—the use of a mobile phone, so I am formally calling you to order, member for Midland.
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