Taxi Industry

In reply to the Hon. F. PANGALLO ().28 November 2023).

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries): The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport has advised:

As part of its election commitments, the state government committed to a review of the Passenger Transport Act 1997 (the Act). The review commenced on 1 July 2022, with initial public and industry consultation undertaken during the third quarter of 2022.

Feedback from the consultation, including around current requirements for licence holders and proposals for a buyback are being considered in finalising the review's recommendations.

The outcomes of the review will be publicly released once the review is finalised.

In the interim, the state government has taken the following actions to help get more taxis back on the road:

Rebates of the compulsory third-party premiums and lifetime support scheme levies paid in the financial years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.

Increasing maximum taxi fares.

Reintroduction of government-funded managed taxi ranks at priority locations.

Appointment of new compliance officers to support enforcement of the act requirements on all industry segments.

Enabling metropolitan taxi operators to apply to defer taxi replacements due to current supply chain issues with obtaining new vehicles.