Motions

Public Transport

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.A. Simms:

That this council—

1. Notes the Queensland government's announcement that it will make 50¢ fares permanent on all public transport networks in Queensland following a successful six-month trial;

2. Acknowledges that the implementation of 50¢ public transport fares in Queensland has resulted in a significant increase in public transport patronage and positive outcomes for cost of living, traffic congestion, business, and the environment;

3. Notes that Adelaide City Council resolved at its meeting on 11 March 2025 to approach the state government to explore the possibility of implementation of a similar scheme in Adelaide; and

4. Calls on the Malinauskas government to undertake a six-month trial of 50¢ public transport fares as part of its upcoming budget.

(Continued from 19 March 2025.)

The Hon. J.S. LEE (16:43): I rise today to support the motion introduced by the Hon. Robert Simms advocating for a 50¢ fare trial for public transport in South Australia. This motion notes the remarkable success of Queensland's recent 50¢ public transport trial, which clearly demonstrates significant and tangible benefits that could similarly be realised in our state.

Data from Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads reveals the 50¢ fare initiative generated an 18.3 per cent rise in overall public transport usage. Bus patronage grew by 15.8 per cent, train usage by 18.6 per cent, and ferry patronage surged dramatically by 42.8 per cent. Equally important, this trial significantly reduced fare evasion, with a 27 per cent decrease in fare evasion fines recorded during the trial period, highlighting that affordable fares directly encourage compliance and increase system integrity.

This substantial increase in public transport patronage can produce positive impacts for South Australia in terms of a reduced reliance on personal vehicles and also mitigate traffic congestion and support sustainable urban growth. Increasing the number of people using public transport directly translates to fewer cars on our roads, leading to reduced emissions, improved air quality and better overall urban liveability.

South Australian families currently face substantial economic pressures, with rising living costs stretching household budgets to their limits. A shift towards affordable public transport fares will substantially ease financial burdens. Consider, for instance, a daily commuter travelling from Elizabeth to the Adelaide CBD via public transport, currently paying around $7 per day, totalling approximately $140 a month and $1,680 per year. Under a 50¢ fare trial, the same commuter will pay only $10 monthly, equating to just $120 for the whole year. This represents an annual saving of around $1,560 in funds that can benefit families and could be redirected towards essential costs such as groceries, utilities and housing.

This affordability becomes even more impactful for lower income households and families reliant on multiple public transport journeys daily. An average family of four, for example, consisting of two adults and two school students commuting regularly, could see savings exceeding $3,464 in one year. These savings represent meaningful financial relief that can substantially improve quality of life and ease daily economic stresses. Beyond the financial benefits, affordable public transport significantly enhances social connectivity. Anglicare's recent survey highlighted how cheaper transport options allow individuals to more frequently visit family and friends, participate in community activities and reduce social isolation.

In addition to addressing cost-of-living pressures, the social impact measure should not be underestimated. Affordable transport has shown to actively foster stronger, healthier community bonds and improve the overall wellbeing of residents by reducing loneliness and enhancing community participation. I can speak very highly about this involvement in community activities from a multicultural community perspective because I see that many of them do not have a driver's licence and they need to get to many community events. They can certainly utilise public transport a lot more frequently if such a measure is introduced.

Furthermore, improved affordability and accessibility of public transport are pivotal solutions to Adelaide's escalating road congestion issues. Recent reports indicate that Adelaide's population has significantly grown since the COVID-19 pandemic, placing additional strain on road infrastructure as private vehicle use has increased. By implementing a 50¢ fare, more people would be encouraged to opt for public transport over private cars, alleviating congestion, particularly on major routes approaching Adelaide's CBD. This transition can substantially improve commute times, decrease pollution levels and enhance the overall sustainability of our urban environment.

In closing, I firmly support the immediate implementation of a six-month 50¢ fare trial in South Australia. This trial will provide crucial data and insight, demonstrating the tangible benefits of affordable public transport economically, socially and environmentally. It represents a genuine investment in the wellbeing of our communities and families and environment. I strongly urge the Malinauskas government to prioritise this initiative, demonstrating a clear commitment to affordable, accessible and sustainable public transport solutions for all South Australians. Once again, I thank the honourable member for introducing this motion. I commend the motion.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (16:48): I thank the Hon. Robert Simms for bringing this issue to the chamber. The government recognises the importance of public transport and of course the current issue around cost of living. While the government opposes this motion, we do support parts of the honourable member's motion. We share an interest in improving public transport. Unlike the Liberal opposition, we recognise public transport as the essential service it is.

The Malinauskas Labor government is committed to delivering an accessible, efficient, sustainable and frequent public transport system, one that provides the greatest benefits to as many areas and people as possible. The government is currently focusing on ensuring a smooth transition of the trains and trams coming back into public hands.

When the Queensland government conducted its six-month trial of 50¢ fares and subsequently made this change permanently, we paid attention. The Department for Infrastructure and Transport looked at this closely and reported that, while the reduction to 50¢ fares in Queensland led to a temporary rise in patronage, since then numbers have stabilised to the current trend. Additionally, there were observations that many of the people who tried public transport for the first time experienced reduced amenity. This was due to the frequency and security on services not keeping up with the sudden spike in demand. This report shows us that the cost of public transport is just one factor people consider when making the decision to use it.

The Malinauskas Labor government takes a holistic approach to public transport and is committed to addressing the increased cost of living, including the affordability and accessibility of public transport for people in the community experiencing financial pressures. In South Australia, public transport is already heavily subsidised by 80 per cent of its cost to run—80 per cent subsidised.

Some positive initiatives the Malinauskas Labor government has implemented include free all day, every day public transport for Seniors Card holders. This is along with an extensive concession system for a range of passengers, including Companion Card holders, veterans and students. Additionally, from 1 January 2025 a further cost-of-living relief for Health Care Card holders was implemented. This provides 50 per cent concession fares on Adelaide metro and regional bus services.

These subsidies cover off-peak times and weekends when fewer people use public transport, so the total value of fares collected is lower. The current level of fare revenue is essential to ensure that the government can maintain and improve our public transport services. If we prioritise lowering fares even further, we put at risk our holistic approach. While already providing these comprehensive concession systems, I assure Mr Simms and the chamber that the state government will continue to investigate initiatives to enhance the accessibility of public transport.

Again, I want to thank the honourable member for his advocacy for public transport improvements. I hope he appreciates the government's position on this motion and recognises that the Malinauskas Labor government considers public transport an essential service for South Australians, as our actions have demonstrated.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (16:53): I rise and thank the honourable member for bringing this motion, and state that the Liberal opposition does not oppose the motion. We on this side think public transport is a cost-of-living measure. I do wonder how often the Minister for Transport catches public transport, because as the shadow minister for infrastructure and transport I catch public transport quite often. It was only a week or so ago that I was on the O-Bahn heading north, and quite often I am on the Seaford line, heading south. I love jumping on the tram and tearing around, and I do that mainly because, when I am home in Mount Gambier, I really do not have an option to use public transport much because it has been hollowed out or was not really there to begin with. We do need to see much better public transport options in the regions, which is something I will continue to advocate for.

In his motion, the honourable member referenced the Queensland trial, which did see an 18 per cent increase in patronage, including significant rises amongst students and regional commuters. He framed that initiative as a model for what we might be able to do in South Australia. I would note that South Australia's network differs markedly from Queensland's. Queensland's infrastructure is broader, they have more frequent services and better regional integration. Regional areas, such as Gympie and the Sunshine Coast, saw up to 49 per cent and 37 per cent increases in ridership respectfully.

I make that point again, because our public transport in South Australia does not quite stack up; it really is not fit for purpose. We do not have a northern line that links into our southern line. When cities around the world in the seventies were linking their north and south and east and west rail lines, we are yet to even have that conversation, although I do note that the 20-year infrastructure plan released only a week ago did acknowledge that our Adelaide Railway Station is at capacity, and we seriously need to consider an underground metro here in Adelaide. I have certainly been on the record stating that we may have a workforce after Torrens to Darlington is finished who know how to dig tunnels and we will have some tunnelling machines to do it, so maybe we need to consider that.

The opposition supports efforts to increase patronage, to ease congestion and to address the cost-of-living pressures that so many in South Australia are facing. We do need to also consider important parts of our public transport system when we do look to consider increasing patronage. We need to consider that, when we look at pre-COVID levels of use in public transport to now, we have seen a 13 per cent drop in public transport usage. If we overlaid the Queensland model and we saw an increase of 18 per cent across the board—18 per cent on trains and a 15 per cent increase in buses (we saw a 27.5 per cent increase in light rail in the Queensland example)—what would that look like from a capacity perspective with what we currently have in South Australia, again acknowledging the fact that our network is not up to scratch?

In discussions with public transport advocacy groups, I do acknowledge that there are some differing options. The Hon. Tung Ngo noted that at the end of the day there needs to be in some respects a value added to public transport, if not only just to be able to pay for some of the things that we need to do within our network. We do subsidise some 80 per cent of our public transport in this state already, and we are still not quite getting the service that we probably do require.

It will be important for us to explore a range of policy avenues within public transport to improve the network, to expand the network, and that will include considering fair reform. We also must consider the efficiency, the effectiveness, of our public transport system, and with any broader public transport policy framework investment in infrastructure, reliability and service coverage must be at the top of the list.

I do thank the Hon. Robert Simms for bringing this motion. I thank him for his continued advocacy in this space, not just in the metro context but in the regional context as well, and I look forward to many more debates in this place as we head towards 2026 and the election and what the parties will be offering the people of South Australia with regard to public transport.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (16:59): I want to thank all honourable members for their contributions: the Hon. Jing Lee, the Hon. Tung Ngo and the Hon. Ben Hood. I thank members for their generous comments as well. I do always feel a sense of dread when I see the Hon. Tung Ngo rise to his feet on one of my motions because I know that he is being deployed to try to defeat it. You know when you see the Hon. Mr Tung Ngo on his feet that the Labor Party have sent him out to deliver—

The PRESIDENT: Order! Do not attack the Hon. Mr Ngo. Come on, the Hon. Mr Simms.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I am defending the Hon. Tung Ngo, Mr President, because he is always being deployed to deliver the bad news, so I feel sorry for him in that regard. But today it does appear that there is broad support in this chamber for the proposal. I recognise the fact that the opposition are not opposing this motion. If this motion passes today, as it appears that it will, I think that sends a clear message to the Malinauskas government as they craft their next budget that this chamber wants action on public transport fares,

We are seeing momentum building now for 50¢ fares. We saw a resolution pass the Adelaide City Council last month calling on the government to take this seriously. We are now going to see a resolution pass this chamber today also calling on the government to take this seriously. It should be noted that in their last budget the Malinauskas government actually increased Metrocard single fares by 15¢ to $4.40, which means that South Australian commuters pay some of the highest public transport fares in the country. That is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and the middle of a climate crisis. Reducing fares to 50¢ would provide real relief to South Australian families. Indeed, the Greens have calculated that 50¢ fares would save the average SA family of four that uses public transport five days a week up to $290 a month and $1,740 over a six-month period.

It is my view that public transport should be free, but at least a six-month 50¢ trial would provide families with some relief. I am calling on the Malinauskas government to follow the lead of Queensland and to roll that out here. In summing up, I recognise the point that the Hon. Ben Hood has made—and it is a fair point—about the need also to increase accessibility of our public transport network. Absolutely, that includes underground rail, that absolutely includes rail to Mount Barker and the Adelaide Hills, and it absolutely includes expanding public transport in the regions as well.

Motion carried.