Public Transport

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (14:17): That's disappointing, sir. My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Has the minister or his agency established any unit internally to contemplate or plan the privatisation of our train and tram services?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:17): Can I set the scene of how we got here in terms of the reform agenda that we have put on the table around public transport. We have a situation in South Australia where 70 per cent of our public transport network is already franchised. Back in 2011, a contract was let that is still in place today around our bus services. At that time, one has to ask the question—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens can leave for half an hour for that interjection.

The honourable member for West Torrens having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: In 2011, there was an opportunity to change the way our bus services were operating, to bring it back in-house, but a decision was not taken at that time to do that. In fact, the contractor was put in place back in 2011. There was also an opportunity back in 2005 to change the way that 70 per cent of our—

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order, minister. One moment please. The point of order is?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: It's debate. The question was specifically about the establishment of any unit to contemplate or plan the privatisation of train or tram services.

The SPEAKER: Yes, it was. The point of order is for debate. In fairness to the minister, he has given notice that he is going to provide some preamble; other ministers just get on with the preamble. I will allow him some scope to do that, and then I expect him to come to the substance of the question.

An honourable member: Four minutes of preamble?

The SPEAKER: No, not four minutes of preamble.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Can I say that there is a unit within the department that already administers the 70 per cent of our public transport network services that are franchised, and that unit has existed—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The opposition are incensed by the word 'franchise'. If you keep using it, you will get some back.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Since 2000, there has been a group of people within the department who have been charged with administering a contract with the private sector. That has been in place for a long period of time; it's nothing new. In 2005 and 2011, you had the opportunity to change that, and it wasn't changed. But what we have here in South Australia is a public transport network in decline, and it has been in decline—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Patronage across our network is down 500,000 people on what it was three years ago.

Ms Stinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Badcoe is warned for a second and final time.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: There are 500,000 people less per year catching public transport than a year ago.

An honourable member: Fewer.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Sorry.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Minister, there is a point of order. It had better be a good one.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: How many more minutes of scene setting in breach of standing orders must we suffer?

The SPEAKER: That is definitely a bogus point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: It's debate, sir.

The SPEAKER: I remind the member for Lee that he has been named once and, if he does not immediately depart the chamber for the remainder of question time in silence, he will be named a second time.

The honourable member for Lee having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government has the call.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Hughes: Are we still on the preamble, though?

The SPEAKER: The member for Giles is warned. No, we are not on the preamble anymore.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: We have a situation where we have declining patronage, we have the lowest levels of patronage in the country and we have the lowest levels of integration across our network. It's interesting in regard to integration. What we have, when we announced last Friday the model for our new public transport authority, is a desire to bring these disparate parts and divisions within the department into one unit so that they can have one focus, and that is to deliver on our election commitment, which was to deliver a customer-focused public transport network.

What is interesting when it comes to better integration of services is that this isn't just something that we have been talking about since coming into government. In fact, it was in the former government's 2015 integrated land-use plan. An idea that we are trying to implement today was actually something they were supposedly talking about as far back as 2015. So it's okay for them to talk about it but it's not okay for us to talk about it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Can I also give information to the house to say that we accept we don't have the best PT system in the country or the world, so we are prepared to look at what's happening around the country and around the globe. To that end, can I tell you that when it comes to trams we are the only jurisdiction in the country that actually operates our tram network internally. In terms of train networks, Melbourne, Sydney Metro, Auckland, Wellington, Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Stockholm, Germany and the Netherlands all have models where they have private sector involvement. This isn't something to fear.

Can I reiterate to South Australians that no decisions have been made. We have just been looking at ideas. We are not scared to look at ideas because we actually want to move better, rather than just accept the gentle decline of the status quo.