Private Bus Charters

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister advise when the restrictions that are currently placed on private bus charters for transporting sporting groups to Adelaide will be relieved or an exemption be made for that? With your leave and that of the house, I will ask further questions.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: There are two soccer clubs in Port Pirie that compete in the South Australian Amateur Soccer League and their competition is to resume on Sunday 28 June 2020. They are required to transport 40 players and officials to Adelaide and, in turn, the metropolitan teams will also be required to travel to Port Pirie in the home and away season. Currently, to my information, they are only allowed to have 20 passengers per bus.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:42): I do thank the member for Frome deeply for his question, knowing how important the return of community sport is in South Australia. It is something this government has been able to bring forward because of our very strong health response to COVID-19. As part of the first direction that was made by the police commissioner, public transport was exempt, and remains exempt, from the social distancing provisions.

I am happy to take the balance of the question on notice because this isn't an issue that has been presented to my office from any other quarter. Whether or not this is something the soccer clubs are doing of their own accord, as I understand it, one of the key reasons the exemption to public transport was put in there in the first place is because social distancing on transport is difficult to provide. Certainly, I'm happy to look into that matter and see if we can get some sort of ruling about ensuring that it's public transport.