PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (14:54): Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is for the Minister for Transport Services. What is the minister's strategy to reverse the 4.2 per cent drop in public transport use for the 12 months to 31 August 2011? The minister confirmed to the house this week that she is responsible for 'strategies to increase public transport patronage in metropolitan Adelaide', but for the 12-month period to 31 August boardings across the public transport network were actually down by 4.2 per cent or 2,838,000 boardings.

The Hon. C.C. FOX (Bright—Minister for Transport Services) (14:54): The member for Goyder is correct: there has been a drop in public transport use. However, there is a reason for that and the reason is this: over 10 years, the state government is spending $2 billion on updating a system that was not invested in for some 20 years—by people who shall remain nameless.

So, we have something called a rail revitalisation scheme. What that involves, member for Goyder, as I am sure you are aware, is actually taking up old bits of railway and putting in new ones, and we are doing that all around the state—once again, to the cost of some hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Point of order: courtesy. I cannot hear the answer and it is a subject in which I am deeply interested.

The SPEAKER: Members on my left will behave.

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: So, given that this has occurred, a number of railway services have actually been dropped during the time that those rail tracks are being replaced. As a result of that, people have not been able to receive the service they were before and they are taking the trains—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: —less than they were before. There are more people travelling on trains now than there were some 20 years ago, and I suspect that in—

Mr Griffiths: The population is a lot larger too, Chloe.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Per capita—and I suspect that in two years' time this reduction will have been of itself reduced. I am quite confident that we are going to see people back on that public transport.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. C.C. FOX: I can hear the noise opposite; and once again—

The SPEAKER: The member for Bragg, you are warned a second time!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: —I would say: $2 billion over 10 years, compared to nothing from those opposite for a very long time.