Public Transport Privatisation

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:39): Will The Treasurer guarantee that there will be no increase in rail fares above CPI following the privatisation of our public transport rail network?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:40): The minister responsible for this, together with the cabinet—those particular decisions are taken on an annual basis or on a periodic basis in relation to the setting of public transport fares. In this particular budget, for example, we looked after the interests of struggling South Australian households, and we limited public transport fare increases to 2 per cent, whereas a range of other fees, fines and charges, as has been publicised, we increased at 5 per cent or in some cases even more.

So the decisions in relation to public transport have been—and the minister has indicated, as I understand his public statements, that they will continue to be under the control of the government of the day. They will not be decisions taken by the private either operator or operators in relation to this issue. They would remain decisions for the government of the day and, as occurred with the former Labor government, they are annual decisions taken by the government of the day. We are just doing exactly the same, or we will do exactly the same, as the former Labor government did.