Public Transport Privatisation

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (14:37): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Will all current DPTI staff, including tram and train drivers, working—

The Hon. D.C. van Holst Pellekaan: All DPTI staff—how many thousand?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The tactician. Will all—

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Energy and Mining is called to order. I would like to hear the question. Can we start the question again from the start, please.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Thank you. My question—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Will all current DPTI staff, including tram and train drivers, working on the public transport system transferring over to a successful tenderer, a private operator of Adelaide's tram and train networks, maintain their existing wages, conditions and entitlements?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:37): When asked this question on Monday, the answer I gave and that I continue to give is that that is something that will be worked through as part of the tender process. Certainly there are—

Mr Malinauskas: You make it up as you go along.

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: There are conditions that exist within the current enterprise—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —bargaining agreements that essentially—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader, be quiet.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —provide opportunities there, and we will be making sure that we utilise those EBs to make good on the provisions that are there within those enterprise bargaining agreements. That is something that will have to be dealt with as part of the tender process. You have to ask private operators, to a degree, how they want to operate and then work that through with them.

Mr Szakacs interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Cheltenham is warned.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Certainly the commitment I gave is that we will be using the tender process to make sure that there is the broadest range of opportunities for staff within that area as they transition. Again, that is something that needs to be done through the tender process.