BUS TIMETABLES

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (15:22): My question is to the Minister for Transport Services. Under the bus service contract signed by minister Conlon, does the government have the ability to change bus timetables before 1 July without incurring financial penalties?

The Hon. C.C. FOX (Bright—Minister for Transport Services) (15:22): As the member for Bragg is well aware (having been briefed by Mr Hook on this matter), we do have the ability to change timetables in a piecemeal fashion. What we are choosing to do, and I have directed this, is a changeover on 1 July so that we can do a wholesale change so we can re-establish connections—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order, Madam Speaker. I did not ask the minister whether she is going to do it in bits and pieces or altogether. I asked her whether she can do it without financial consequence.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Bragg, but, as you know, the minister can answer the question as she chooses.

The Hon. C.C. FOX: I think the member for Bragg is aware of the fact that any timetable change is, in and of itself, costly. Every time you change timetables you pay for the printing of timetables and the public information campaigns around the printing of those timetables. As far as I am aware, and I could be wrong, the actual changing of just one line and its timetable costs approximately $10,000. In July we are changing the timetables for 80 services out of 97, so you can imagine that there will be a significant cost, but that is whether we do it now or on 1 July, and I would rather do these things as one big project and get it right than in bits and pieces and get it wrong.