House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Taxi Industry Taxi Industry Mr BROWN House of Assembly Florey Taxi Industry Mr BROWN (Florey) (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister inform the house how the Malinauskas government is supporting the taxi industry and reducing the cost of being a taxi owner or operator? The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining Taxi Industry The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:57): I thank the member for his keen concern for taxidrivers. He's a strong advocate for the taxi industry. It's a vital part of our state's transport mix and for disadvantaged and vulnerable South Australians it's often their primary means of travel. In the lead-up to the election, the then Malinauskas opposition announced a range of reforms to improve and support the taxi industry and to provide a level playing field with rideshare services. One of the reforms was to assist with running costs. The house will be aware that, for the financial year from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, registered taxi owners and operators received a rebate for compulsory third-party insurance premiums. The rebate for each taxi was $3,092.41 for the full 12 months' registration. In the 2021-22 financial year, the rebate program fully concluded by 30 September 2022 and, in total, 1,117 payments were made, totalling approximately $2.72 million in support to the industry. I'm pleased to advise the house that a similar payment will now be made to eligible registered taxi owners to rebate CTP insurance premiums paid for taxis registered between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. The Department for Infrastructure and Transport will commence payments for this period from today. I am advised that another $528,000 of support for the taxi industry is going out today just for the period between 1 July 2022 and today. The full rebate for 12 months is $2,526.13 and includes amounts for both CTP and the lifetime support levy paid during the eligibility period. Any person responsible for the payment of registration fees will receive the payment. Eligible registered taxi owners do not need to apply or take any steps to receive their payment. People should expect to receive their cheques in the mail within coming days. I am also pleased to advise the house that the Department for Infrastructure and Transport has worked hard to add a new process for the 2022-23 financial year rebate program. This new process will automatically issue rebate cheques as and when people pay for the registration: if a person renews their taxi registration monthly, they will automatically receive a cheque monthly. Other than postage, people do not have to wait to receive their rebate, which is a fantastic outcome. The government looks forward to rolling out the 2022-23 financial year rebate program and other reforms that are already improving and supporting the taxi industry.