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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-06-30 Daily Xml
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Bus Services

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (15:58): It is just as well that the government backflipped on its stupid decision on bus cuts because the impact of the changes in my electorate was nothing short of devastating. There were four major route changes within Badcoe, but locals also feared even greater service and bus stop cuts when timetables were released.

The changes would have seen the 241 at Ascot Park and then at Everard Avenue at Keswick axed, the J7 and J8 along Mooringe Avenue at North Plympton slashed and, incredibly, the popular 100 route along Cross Road eliminated. These are routes that take people in our community to important places: the Castle Plaza shops, the Cumberland Park shops, to the Uniting Church, to childcare centres, to Cabra College and other schools, to countless charities and even to Ashford Hospital.

The changes would mean that at least 55 bus stops were torn down, in addition to the dozen bus stops already previously removed in my area under this government. Local councillors questioned who was meant to pay for these bus stop removals, which cost up to $10,000 each to tear down. In the Marion council alone, there were 90 bus stops to be removed, costing in the vicinity of $350,000, and that is just one of the four councils within Badcoe.

For Kellie at Plympton, it meant that to get to work each day she worried she would have to travel further along busy Anzac Highway in her wheelchair to access a bus stop. For Tony of South Plympton, the route change to the 241 up West Street and Adelaide Terrace, where I was this morning, meant that he could no longer get to the Central Market on the weekend without having to take a three-part journey or fork out for a taxi. For Michael at Edwardstown, the route changes at Ascot Park meant he could not longer volunteer at Meals on Wheels, which right now is under even greater pressure to get food to the needy.

Sheree from South Plympton is a student who takes the 791 from South Road to Flinders University each weekday. That route was diverted and no longer was to go to the uni. Instead of a 34-minute trip, she would now have to travel in the wrong direction to Goodwood Road, swapping between buses, resulting in an hour-long trip. Sometimes Sheree would instead get the 101 from Marion Road, but that was changed too, meaning she would end up at Westfield Shopping Centre where she would be waiting for a connecting bus. Surely that is time better spent on her education.

For Beverley from Edwardstown, the 241 route change meant that she could no longer make her weekly shopping trip to Castle Plaza, a huge inconvenience. And for Janice, it meant that she would have to get a taxi to her specialist doctor's appointment at Ashford, rather than a brief bus trip from her home. The Liberals' backflip on buses is a victory for each of them. It is a win for everyone in my community who spoke out against these ridiculous changes. Thank you for sharing your stories and thank you for fighting with us against these cuts.

However, people in my community are still worried. Privatisation of the rail system looms over people in Badcoe. For those who take the tram and the train, they are concerned about increased ticket prices and decreased services under privatisation. I am proud to be part of a team that is so committed to public transport. Our leader has already announced our election policy that a Malinauskas Labor government would reverse that privatisation and look into buses as well. People in Badcoe know that by voting Labor they are voting for public transport.

I suggest there is another backflip that those opposite may like to consider in the inner south. To add to its broken promise on GlobeLink, to add to the breach of trust on changing the city school zone, to add to the backflip on closing Service SA at Mitcham, they might like to reverse their clearly stated position of shutting down a school where the zone includes people in my electorate.

Labor is calling for a shared school zone or indeed no school zone for Springbank Secondary College. This small by design high school should be left open for the families who love its inclusive environment so dearly while also giving other families in my area the option to attend Unley High School if that suits their child better. Why not provide the choice that so many parents in my area are calling for? Shutting down growing schools in a growing district, especially when there is a shortage of disability places for students, does not make sense.

It also does not make sense that the Liberal government failed to deliver the $10 million investment set aside by Labor to further improve the school and attract new students. I look forward to a backflip from the government on this nonsensical closure and a more intelligent solution that reflects the diverse educational demands in the inner south and gives parents the right to choose.

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