Public Transport Fares

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (15:04): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. When will the government announce the outcome of a new public transport fare structure with the aim of significantly increasing patronage?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (15:04): It's clear that the member for West Torrens has been reading our election policy document. I know that the member for Unley will be very pleased with that. There is some background work that's being done, but that is a job that the new South Australian Public Transport Authority will be tasked with working through. As I said, the background detail is being compiled.

As we announced last Friday, we are putting together a South Australian public transport authority, which will essentially be a division within my department, but a joined-up division within my department, as opposed to a set of disparate functions. There will be an advisory board that will provide advice not only to that body but also to me as the minister. This is a task that they will be tasked with completing and it will be done in an iterative fashion.

When you want to reform the public transport system, it doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen quickly because there's a whole series of change that's being undertaken at the moment. Not only have we created this new authority, which comes to an effect on 1 July, but we also have a bus services tender, a bus supply tender and a demand-responsive transport tender out there, and all of these moving parts need to come together to provide one integrated network. There's a lot of change happening in this space at the moment. The fare review forms one of those actions, and I look forward to seeing the outcome of that when it's appropriate.