Public Transport Privatisation

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister advise on what date he expects to announce the awarding of the contract for the privatisation of the train network?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:41): We aren't privatising the train network in South Australia. The public will continue to own the assets. The public and the government will continue to set the fares. The government will still continue to set the service delivery levels that are required. We will maintain control of our public transport network. What we are doing is outsourcing the running of our trains and trams, in exactly the same way as has been done for 80-odd per cent of our network in our bus network for the entire duration of the former government's tenure.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is on two warnings.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: 2005, 2011—

The Hon. V.A. Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Deputy Premier!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —and 2015: all opportunities for those who now suggest that they are against outsourcing to have made a different decision.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order: discussing the actions of the former Labor government is debate. The question was: when will the minister announce the privatisation? The contract has been signed.

The SPEAKER: I have allowed some compare and contrast to a point. Minister, you then need to come back to the substance of the question.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: We are actually in tender at the moment with a number of companies or consortia that are tendering for our train network. That work is ongoing. We expect later on this year to announce the successful tenderer, with the change in services to happen some time in Q1 next year.