❓ A contentious exchange regarding public transport costs, with the opposition questioning cost control and the Minister defending the government's investment and criticising the opposition's past record.
AnsweredQoN 433Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PUBLIC TRANSPORT —
COSTS
433. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Transport:
I
have a supplementary question. Does the minister make any effort whatsoever to
understand and control the massive cost blowouts in her portfolio or
does she simply rely on spin and bluster to hide this incompetent management of
public funds?
Mr W.J. Johnston interjected.
The SPEAKER : Thank you,
member for Cannington. We did not need that contribution either. Minister, this
is another opportunity for you to respond.
COSTS
433. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Transport:
I
have a supplementary question. Does the minister make any effort whatsoever to
understand and control the massive cost blowouts in her portfolio or
does she simply rely on spin and bluster to hide this incompetent management of
public funds?
Mr W.J. Johnston interjected.
The SPEAKER : Thank you,
member for Cannington. We did not need that contribution either. Minister, this
is another opportunity for you to respond.
AnswerView source ↗
Let us go through it again! I went
through some key components of the subsidy. As I said, it is bus kilometres and
train kilometres, basically. It is cost of diesel, which has an impact, because
the contracts are linked to the price of diesel and bus kilometres. As I said,
there is also fare revenue.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Yes, we have
made a deliberate attempt to reduce the price of public transport for Western Australians.
That has increased the subsidy. Yes, that is right. I said it and I will say it
again. We are deliberately subsidising public transport more in this state
because we believe supporting public transport is a public good for a number of
reasons. For the environment, what is the best way of reducing emissions? It is
mass transit. More people using buses and trains means far fewer emissions out
there in the community. It is affordable. Again, we have made comparisons
between a car and public transport going from, let us say, Yanchep, member for Butler, to, for example, working at the
hospital at Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre. It is much more affordable ,
and again, the most affordable in the nation. It is all about connections.
Members opposite may not care, but we all do, about young people and older
people in our community who want to be able to access jobs and opportunities,
to maintain a social network and to feel like they are connected. It is also
about supporting new land use and more densification of housing. We are making
sure we support new densification of housing.
The Liberal and National
Parties' record on public transport in this state is there to see. They
shut down the Fremantle rail line.
They shut the Midland Workshops, which meant they basically disenfranchised
whole communities. People used to get training in those jobs, and now
they wonder why people are not qualified across the system. It is because the
Liberals and Nationals killed training every time they were in government. They
privatised Westrail freight. Remember, it
was called Transform WA. The Nationals WA, to get their little tummy tickled,
basically sold off all the regional Western
Australian rail lines to support this thing called Transform WA, which, at the
time, was about —
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : I have a point
of order, Madam Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members! Points of order are heard in silence. Member for Cottesloe.
Dr
D.J. HONEY : Madam Speaker, my
question was clearly about public transport not the general freight rail network.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : You did not ask
a narrow, direct question as your supplementary. The member for Cannington's
interjection, although disorderly, was actually correct in his commentary.
Minister, I do like to have brief supplementary questions and brief answers.
Questions without Notice
Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : The member is
so unaware of what is happening in regional Western Australia, he does not
understand that trains like the Australind , MerredinLink and AvonLink actually are forms of public transport that use a privatised rail line, which
sometimes makes it very difficult because the opposition sold it off. Coming to
the 2017 election, the opposition had Metro Area Express light rail. What year
was it? In 2008, they promised the Ellenbrook
rail line, as we all know. They doubled down on it in 2013. After eight and a half
years, they did nothing . On MAX light rail, the then Minister for
Transport said, ''Go and buy land along the route''. We know
members opposite hate public transport.
Mr W.J. Johnston : They closed
the Fremantle line.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : I started
with that one, actually.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Minister, I am keen to give the call to the member for Dawesville.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Sure. The
member for Dawesville's constituents very much benefit from the
two-zone fare cap. Thank you for mentioning that!
One day, members opposite will have
to have a policy on this. We cannot wait. Obviously, they believe they want to
significantly cut the subsidy. There are a couple of routes—cut
services, do not pay bus and train drivers, do not maintain the trains, or
increase fares. Whatever option they take, please tell us as soon as possible.
through some key components of the subsidy. As I said, it is bus kilometres and
train kilometres, basically. It is cost of diesel, which has an impact, because
the contracts are linked to the price of diesel and bus kilometres. As I said,
there is also fare revenue.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Yes, we have
made a deliberate attempt to reduce the price of public transport for Western Australians.
That has increased the subsidy. Yes, that is right. I said it and I will say it
again. We are deliberately subsidising public transport more in this state
because we believe supporting public transport is a public good for a number of
reasons. For the environment, what is the best way of reducing emissions? It is
mass transit. More people using buses and trains means far fewer emissions out
there in the community. It is affordable. Again, we have made comparisons
between a car and public transport going from, let us say, Yanchep, member for Butler, to, for example, working at the
hospital at Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre. It is much more affordable ,
and again, the most affordable in the nation. It is all about connections.
Members opposite may not care, but we all do, about young people and older
people in our community who want to be able to access jobs and opportunities,
to maintain a social network and to feel like they are connected. It is also
about supporting new land use and more densification of housing. We are making
sure we support new densification of housing.
The Liberal and National
Parties' record on public transport in this state is there to see. They
shut down the Fremantle rail line.
They shut the Midland Workshops, which meant they basically disenfranchised
whole communities. People used to get training in those jobs, and now
they wonder why people are not qualified across the system. It is because the
Liberals and Nationals killed training every time they were in government. They
privatised Westrail freight. Remember, it
was called Transform WA. The Nationals WA, to get their little tummy tickled,
basically sold off all the regional Western
Australian rail lines to support this thing called Transform WA, which, at the
time, was about —
Point of Order
Dr D.J. HONEY : I have a point
of order, Madam Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
members! Points of order are heard in silence. Member for Cottesloe.
Dr
D.J. HONEY : Madam Speaker, my
question was clearly about public transport not the general freight rail network.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : You did not ask
a narrow, direct question as your supplementary. The member for Cannington's
interjection, although disorderly, was actually correct in his commentary.
Minister, I do like to have brief supplementary questions and brief answers.
Questions without Notice
Resumed
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : The member is
so unaware of what is happening in regional Western Australia, he does not
understand that trains like the Australind , MerredinLink and AvonLink actually are forms of public transport that use a privatised rail line, which
sometimes makes it very difficult because the opposition sold it off. Coming to
the 2017 election, the opposition had Metro Area Express light rail. What year
was it? In 2008, they promised the Ellenbrook
rail line, as we all know. They doubled down on it in 2013. After eight and a half
years, they did nothing . On MAX light rail, the then Minister for
Transport said, ''Go and buy land along the route''. We know
members opposite hate public transport.
Mr W.J. Johnston : They closed
the Fremantle line.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : I started
with that one, actually.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Minister, I am keen to give the call to the member for Dawesville.
Ms R. SAFFIOTI : Sure. The
member for Dawesville's constituents very much benefit from the
two-zone fare cap. Thank you for mentioning that!
One day, members opposite will have
to have a policy on this. We cannot wait. Obviously, they believe they want to
significantly cut the subsidy. There are a couple of routes—cut
services, do not pay bus and train drivers, do not maintain the trains, or
increase fares. Whatever option they take, please tell us as soon as possible.
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