❓ Question concerns school bus operator contracts, safety standards, and government's handling of the issue. Minister defends the government's actions, highlighting improved contract terms and driver wages, accusing some operators of opposing fair wages for drivers.
AnsweredQoN 90Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the minister to Labor’s pre-election policy “getting transport back on track”, which promises that a Labor Government will issue contracts to operators on a sufficiently long-term basis to enable service providers to invest in upgraded equipment. (1) Is the minister aware of the concerns of the school bus operators, including those who protested here today and distributed a flier titled “Labor Party Deception”, that the contracts that the Government has forced them to sign do not provide sufficient security to justify investment in upgraded equipment? (2) Does the minister recognise that as a result of her decision to not grant rolling leases, safety standards on our school buses are being compromised? (3) Given that the minister’s Government has been unable to resolve this issue for more than three years, will the minister now appoint an independent arbiter to help determine a fair deal for these important small business operators? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
(1) Is the minister aware of the concerns of the school bus operators, including those who protested here today and distributed a flier titled “Labor Party Deception”, that the contracts that the Government has forced them to sign do not provide sufficient security to justify investment in upgraded equipment? (2) Does the minister recognise that as a result of her decision to not grant rolling leases, safety standards on our school buses are being compromised? (3) Given that the minister’s Government has been unable to resolve this issue for more than three years, will the minister now appoint an independent arbiter to help determine a fair deal for these important small business operators? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
(2) Does the minister recognise that as a result of her decision to not grant rolling leases, safety standards on our school buses are being compromised? (3) Given that the minister’s Government has been unable to resolve this issue for more than three years, will the minister now appoint an independent arbiter to help determine a fair deal for these important small business operators? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
(3) Given that the minister’s Government has been unable to resolve this issue for more than three years, will the minister now appoint an independent arbiter to help determine a fair deal for these important small business operators? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
(1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
(1) Is the minister aware of the concerns of the school bus operators, including those who protested here today and distributed a flier titled “Labor Party Deception”, that the contracts that the Government has forced them to sign do not provide sufficient security to justify investment in upgraded equipment? (2) Does the minister recognise that as a result of her decision to not grant rolling leases, safety standards on our school buses are being compromised? (3) Given that the minister’s Government has been unable to resolve this issue for more than three years, will the minister now appoint an independent arbiter to help determine a fair deal for these important small business operators? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
(2) Does the minister recognise that as a result of her decision to not grant rolling leases, safety standards on our school buses are being compromised? (3) Given that the minister’s Government has been unable to resolve this issue for more than three years, will the minister now appoint an independent arbiter to help determine a fair deal for these important small business operators? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
(3) Given that the minister’s Government has been unable to resolve this issue for more than three years, will the minister now appoint an independent arbiter to help determine a fair deal for these important small business operators? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN replied: (1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
(1)-(3) Can I say to you, Mr Speaker, and the people of Albany, that I very, very sincerely thank the member for Carine for this question, because it gives me an opportunity to address some of the wild inaccuracies that have been going around - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: Why are they protesting? Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Mr M.W. Trenorden: The hairdresser! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I think the Adonis from Avon has raised an interjection! Behold, ladies, the Adonis from Avon - the man who feels it is so appropriate to constantly comment on the appearance of female members! He is a glorious specimen of manhood for us all! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: There is one thing I do urge of the Opposition. I do not mind members of the Opposition having a go at me, but they have to learn that if they throw a hand grenade they must expect to get one back. That is part of the Anzac tradition that we all understand here in Albany. Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I would love it if we could move on to this very important question of school bus contracts. This issue has been going on since 1995, when it was realised that under the national competition policy principles it was not appropriate to just automatically roll over contracts. Those bus operators had signed a contract for five years. This dispute went on for the last six years that the Opposition was in government - Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms K. Hodson-Thomas: What have you done in three years? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: I will tell the member. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. When we got into government we were determined that we would resolve it. It was a complex issue. There were two factors. The bus companies wanted to change the very basis under which they were paid. They wanted to move away from a standard-rate model to a composite-rate model, and they wanted more money and some security of tenure. We said to them very clearly that we could not give them permanent contracts. Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Mr P.D. Omodei: Why not? Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: That is just not responsible. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order, members! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
The SPEAKER: Order! I call to order the member for Warren-Blackwood and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
Ms A.J. MacTIERNAN: In 2002 we put a proposition that we would resolve this by converting the five-year contracts to 20 to 25-year contracts depending on the size of the bus. This would enable the drivers to ensure that the investments they had made in their buses were amortised over the lives of the contracts. That was agreed to. At a public meeting that was presided over by, I believe, the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, it was decided by a majority vote that this was an acceptable way of dealing with the matter because they had five-year contracts, and the Government was offering 20 to 25-year contracts. We then worked through a remuneration package that has given the school bus operators an additional $5 million a year. Under this system, the rates for bus drivers have increased from $13 an hour to $16 an hour. What some of the bus operators do not like - the bus owners, not the bus drivers - is that we have said that we will pay them that $16 an hour only if they actually pay that to the drivers. That is what many of these contractors have actually protested about. They wanted to get the $16 an hour, but they did not want to give it to the drivers. We are a Labor Government, and we do not accept that. I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
I must add that over the weekend I had the great delight of going to the fabulous town of Gnowangerup for the first time in my life and visiting the member for Stirling’s farm. Interestingly, the shire president is a school bus operator, and she said to me that she signed her contract very happily, because she recognised that it was a good deal and it gave her much more security of tenure than she gets anywhere else.
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