Bus Driver Contracts

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:44): Supplementary: if I gave the minister the names of these drivers, would he undertake to do something about their situation, and would he also look at whether these drivers and all the new drivers in the new situation would be paid at the same rate of pay and with the same conditions?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:44): I thank the member for Florey for her question. I take on notice what opportunities and obligations I and the department have to direct private operators as to their individual industrial relations practices. I am more than happy to take that on notice and see if there is some sort of answer that I can provide to the member.

The government contracts services with operators across a whole host of spheres, and we would be talking about tens of thousands of jobs for which private companies provide services, through government, to the public of South Australia. I am not sure that the government itself has the power to be able to direct that individual outcomes in relation to individual staff are achieved through those contracting arrangements.