Ms BURNET (Clark) – I rise to support this important motion. Our public transport system is so important for the social functioning of Tasmanians. I note the advocacy of the member for Franklin in this space for a very long time and thank him for it.
I would like to go to a couple of points that were raised by the minister. Firstly, he talked about antisocial behaviour as a problem for buses. We all know that that is affecting some of the bus services; it is not the major problem. It should be pointed out that antisocial behaviour is a symptom of a broken, unloved, underfunded system, and I will go to that point in a moment.
Secondly, minister Abetz talked about catching a bus. That is very admirable. It is very good to see the Transport minister catching a bus. We need to increase those people catching the bus services. Again, if it is unloved and underfunded, that will not be the case. I might point out to minister Abetz – and I hope he is listening from outside this Chamber – that the Menzies Centre is doing a bus service in conjunction with Metro. It is called the Get BusActive Study, and it is encouraging people by giving them money to catch buses. I enrolled in that the other day – I am usually riding, but if the bus service is there and available and there are incentives to do that and to get some incidental exercise by walking to the bus, which we know is a factor, then I think it is a very good thing. I urge the minister to enrol in that study.
Thirdly, it is also very good to hear the minister talking about some lateral thinking around rostering and trying to find solutions to the bus shortages, which has been brought up when speaking to this notice of motion. You have already heard constituent concerns about impacts the reduced bus services are having on members of the community. My example this morning was of Gaye from West Hobart, but the impact is felt right across Tasmania and even more so in regional and remote parts of our state with other bus services.
We have also had people in Kingston raise concerns through the Greens office that the reduced services mean that there are windows during peak work travel time where the only services available from Kingston travel via Hobart College, with the direct‑to‑city services among those axed, making journeys much longer. They are crowded and they are more uncomfortable for commuters.
There are massive knock-on effects when you consider a failing Metro service. There are congestion issues, and there is that lack of incidental exercise from this disruption to services and also the disruption to people’s lives. The member for Franklin talked about the school services and the impacts on students, and while no school services were cut, many of the connecting services relied upon by students, particularly younger students, have been cut, making their journey more complicated, longer, and frankly, less safe.
Buses are also taking longer to complete journeys, with commuters normally spread over a wide range of services being forced to adjust their travel to services that are becoming more crowded, are taking longer to complete and are arriving at unpredictable intervals. I attest to that example of the woman waiting one and a half hours in the bus mall. It is just not suitable.
Public transport is important to reduce social isolation, to allow people to access medical appointments and social and sporting events, and to get to and from school. Without it, we have heard of reports of increased rates of non-attendance at schools, and an inability for students to arrive on time because of inadequate bus services. Indeed, the member for Lyons, Jen Butler, raised the matter of a lack of bus services for those with three‑wheeled mobility scooters that cannot access Metro bus services from Brighton, which is a real problem in isolation.
The ‘A Better Deal’ report into the state of public transport in Tasmania noted that Tasmania spends just $115.06 per commuter. If you compare that to Queensland, which spends $702.25; the ACT, which spends $492.29 per commuter; and Victoria, which spends $610.77 per commuter, you can see what the problem is. It is a chronic lack of funding vital services.
Tasmania spends the least per commuter on public transport in the country. Even in terms of proportion of the budget spent on public transport, Tasmania is second last in the country, with only 0.94 per cent of the budget spent on public transport. We have to do better. Again, Victoria spends 4.69 per cent, Queensland 5.13 per cent and the ACT 2.98 per cent.
During the election, the Greens talked about free public transport and reliable public transport to expand services, the light rail to the Northern suburbs in Hobart and support for the expansion of ferry services. It is a blight on this government if they fail to address this most basic of needs on service delivery, on restoring routes that have been cancelled, and ensuring that the people of all ages have an affordable and reliable way of getting from point A to point B and undertaking their daily tasks and business. I understand the minister has unfortunately walked into a mess and I know that he will work hard to get good results.
Commuters need real time travel information, it is standard wherever else you go, it is standard to have a good bus service, ferry service in other jurisdictions and it is a sign of a mature society when there is a good public transport system.
