BUS CONTRACTS

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Transport Services. Can the minister update the house about the results of the performance assessment and management of bus contracts?

The Hon. C.C. FOX (Bright—Minister for Transport Services) (14:31): Thank you, and I would like to acknowledge the member for Florey's outstanding advocacy for her constituents on this particular matter. New contracts for the provision of bus transport services were put into effect late last year. These contracts required operators to meet seven specific performance criteria. These criteria are: on-time running, trips run, cleanliness and connections, driver quality, vehicle condition, process compliance and reporting compliance.

Unfortunately, some contractors have materially underperformed in this area. The data has been collected over a period of some weeks and, because this is the first occasion to my knowledge that a minister has had to apply these fee reductions, I have been extremely cautious about going through all of this and have exercised due diligence in relation to this matter. However, I have to say that I am left with no choice in this matter. Fee adjustments will be made and I believe that the contractors should have received these letters today.

This decision has not been taken lightly. I should say that each company received a letter from me informing them of what I was about to do, and they in turn had a certain period of time in which to respond. All three contractors were aware, as part of their contracts, that fee adjustments would apply if the standards were not met.

I do want to point out that some of these fee adjustments are minor. It is important to recognise that certain companies have coped moderately well with the handover. However, some have not. What I want to send and what the government wants to send is a very clear message to certain contractors: get your house in order; give us the service we deserve; and we have a right as commuters to get on a bus—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: —which will get us to a certain place within a certain time. This government makes no apology for demanding the very best service we can get. We are dealing with a very tricky legacy here—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms Chapman: Tricky legacy! You wrote the contracts.

The SPEAKER: Member for Bragg, order!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: We are dealing with a very tricky legacy here, the legacy of privatisation imposed upon this state by—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I do not like to see that finger pointing across the floor. If people ever get bored with the zoo, or if the zoo closes, they could just come down here for a while.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: As I was saying, the legacy of privatisation imposed upon this state by a—

Dr McFetridge interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Morphett!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: —former Liberal government. Madam Speaker, I—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: I think that the minister should be aware that the government which she is a part of, or the party which she is a part of, voted in this house—

The SPEAKER: Thank you.

Mr WILLIAMS: —to continue that particular contract. You had the opportunity to vote against it, and every one of you voted for it.

The SPEAKER: Order! That was not a point of order: that was a statement.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! If you wish to do a grievance speech afterwards, you can, if you have a problem.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley!

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Madam Speaker, I do not expect these companies to be happy about the fee adjustments, but, as a government, we are not here to make multimillion dollar companies happy: we are here to get value for the taxpayer dollar and to get people to where they want to go on time. I would like to acknowledge—which, I guess, is slightly unusual in this particular instance—the role of the media in this, particularly in talkback radio. Now, it is very rare you hear that said by a politician in this place, but there has been so much anecdotal evidence which has added weight to the data that we had already collected—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Bragg will leave the chamber until the end of question time.

The honourable member for Bragg having withdrawn from the chamber:

Mr Venning interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Schubert, you will follow if you are not careful. You are very vocal today. Minister, finally.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Yes, sorry, I was a bit taken aback by the departure of the member for Bragg.

Ms Bedford interjecting:

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Well, indeed.

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Finniss! Minister.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: Finally, the last point I would make is that the next quarter of reporting ends on 31 March; so, I send a very clear signal to all those bus companies which says that we will be looking at the next quarter with great, great interest.