TAXI RANKS

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (16:06): Mr President—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Sir, when the council is quite ready.

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Thank you for your protection, sir. I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister for the Status of Women a question about taxi ranks.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Many women (and, dare I say, some men, including me on the odd occasion) may often feel somewhat vulnerable when out late at night at entertainment spots when they need to think about getting home. Although there will be very few who would regard late night sittings of this place as a late night entertainment venue, in recent years it is—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: That's right.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I will start again, sir. Although there will be very few who would regard late night sittings of this place as a late night entertainment venue, in recent years it is the only such night spot that I have managed to frequent—and I am sure that does not apply to others. However, regardless of the quality of the entertainment at our chosen venue, we need to know that there is a safe and reliable means of transport to get from place to place and thence finally home. Will the minister advise what the government has done about safety in relation to taxi transport for patrons of late night entertainment venues around the city and suburbs?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (16:08): I thank the honourable member for his most insightful question and his ongoing interest in these very important policy areas. Recently, I launched two new managed taxi ranks to assist with ensuring the safety of late night partygoers, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. The managed taxi ranks are monitored by concierges, security guards and CCTV. They provide a well lit and secure environment for late night patrons, particularly women and young people who are having a good night out.

These new ranks are located at Glenelg and in the heart of the city at the East End. These two new ranks complement the staffed taxi rank that has been operating in the West End for just over one year. The West End managed taxi rank has proven to be enormously successful, with about 40,000 users since its inception. I think people walk with their feet and they are clearly showing how popular these taxi ranks are, and that is indicated by the numbers that are using these facilities.

Taxi drivers and late-night revellers have told us that they feel safe as a result of this managed taxi rank system. The government has committed $80,000 over four years towards establishing these staffed and secure taxi ranks around Adelaide and the suburbs. This initiative is in partnership with the Taxi Council of South Australia, as well as local councils. To promote and highlight the benefits of using staffed taxi ranks for late-night revellers an advertising campaign will run in May and June 2009.

This initiative complements the Women's Safety Strategy which was launched on International Women's Day on 8 March 2005 and which outlined the South Australian government's commitment to addressing the issue of violence against women, particularly including both rape and sexual assault and family and domestic violence. The Women's Safety Strategy has a very broad focus—from early intervention work focused on preventing violence through to community education—to raise awareness about the level and complexity of women's safety. The Women's Safety Strategy is led by an across-government reference group which I chair and which brings a strategic perspective to the way in which government is delivering women's safety services in South Australia.