Passenger Transport (Point to Point Transport Services) Amendment Bill

Final Stages

The Legislative Council agreed to the bill with the amendments and suggested amendment indicated by the following schedule, to which amendments and suggested amendment the Legislative Council desires the concurrence of the House of Assembly:

Schedule of the amendments made by the Legislative Council

No. 1. Clause 43, page 36, after line 12—After subclause (3) insert:

(3a) Section 64—after subsection (2) insert:

(2a) The Minister must ensure that consultation is undertaken (in such manner as the Minister thinks fit) with the following classes of persons before any designated regulation is made under this Act:

(a) persons who, in the opinion of the Minister, represent industries involved in the provision of passenger transport services;

(b) persons who, in the opinion of the Minister, represent consumers of passenger transport services (including consumers with disabilities or other special needs).

No. 2. Clause 43, page 36, after line 19 [clause 43(4)]—After inserted subsection (6) insert:

(7) In this section—

designated regulation means a regulation that is, in the opinion of the Minister, made for the purpose of implementing the Passenger Transport Act Review undertaken by the government of South Australia and published in August 2024.

Schedule of the suggested amendment made by the Legislative Council

No. 1. New clause, page 36, before line 1—Insert:

41A—Insertion of section 62B

After section 62A insert:

62B—Application of levy amounts

(1) Amounts collected as point to point transport service transaction levy amounts under Schedule 2 may only be applied for any 1 or more of the following purposes:

(a) the provision of public transport services in the State;

(b) the administration and regulation of the passenger transport industry in the State;

(c) measures to improve disability access to passenger transport services in the State;

(d) the facilitation of active transport in the State;

(e) implementation of a prescribed scheme under section 52AB.

(2) In this section—

active transport means walking, bicycle riding, scooter riding or other self-propelled means of transportation.

Consideration in committee.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I move:

That the Legislative Council's amendments and suggested amendment be agreed to.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: The amendments have come down and the one disappointing factor in the amendments is that the amendment from the Hon. Ben Hood was not accepted by the Legislative Council, and that was to have a sunset clause on the amount of the levy. I have been in this place long enough to know that once a tax has increased or a tax is in place, rarely is it removed voluntarily. The increased levy had a specific purpose and that was to fund the buyback of the licences to remove the perpetual licence system that has been in play here in South Australia for almost as long as the history of taxis, until this legislation.

I understand that the amendments that we are accepting do specify some more detail about how the levy is to be spent, but I take the house back to the original reason why the $1 levy was introduced back in 2016. It was about the compensation for taxi licences, and the argument that we have heard time and time again from the government on the increase in the levy was for the compensation, now for the removal of the perpetual licence.

I am using this opportunity to put on the record that we are concerned about the levy being there permanently, and the new reasons for justifying the levy once the funding or the money that is raised from the levy has funded the buyout, and so having a sunset clause would have forced a future government to either continue the levy through legislation or, alternatively, let it go.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: On indulgence, may I just very briefly thank some staff on the passage of the bill. I want to thank Emma Kokar, Olivia Hubbard, Matt Osborne, Sarah Clark, Stuart Gilbert, Minister Scriven, the Attorney-General and, of course, the crossbench in the upper house for their exceptional work.

Motion carried.