Public Transport

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:32): Supplementary: minister, you mentioned that it would be a good thing to have greater patronage on public transport. Do you agree that 50¢ fares would lead to greater patronage on public transport?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Autism) (14:32): What I said was we have seen an increase, because our students will be able to get a discounted fare, but also at the same time we have been able to invest in the infrastructure to support those changes in demand. This might come as news to you on the other side, but a bus or a tram or a train doesn't just appear out of nowhere. You have to plan ahead.

If you are thinking of increasing the patronage and it is going to have a really big impact overnight, you might want to think about how they are getting on. If they all decide to start going on a tram or a train or a bus at the same time, and you haven't put a plan in place to increase the number of services or to increase the vehicles and buses and trains and trams that could then be carrying all those new people, you are going to have a very, very crowded public transport system. What do people not want to be doing when they are getting on a public transport system? Being overcrowded. It is about thinking it through and having a plan. That is what we are doing.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Sit down.

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: You can't even add up.

The PRESIDENT: You, don't speak when I am on my feet. The Hon. Ben Hood, final supplementary question and then we are moving on.