Page 66 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 25 February 2014
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MR COE: This could be for the Minister for Economic Development: do the GWS charter and pay for ACTION buses to provide free services to and from their games? If not, what is the reason for the different policy?
MR BARR: My understanding is that in relation to services direct to the venue, as opposed to route services that run past the venue, there is a contractual arrangement between the hirer of the venue and the bus company. That, generally speaking, has been ACTION but it has not always been. I have certainly seen Deane’s buses providing services.
Mr Coe: But all-day everywhere free buses?
MR BARR: That question will need to be examined. In my view it would appear to require the hirer to have made that arrangement with ACTION, unless there has been a policy decision within ACTION to allow that. Certainly, what I can say, Mr Coe, is that the government encourages venue hirers to put in place appropriate transport arrangements. That has included a very strong encouragement to allow transport to the game as part of the ticket price and for that transport to be free. That is certainly what hirers have been doing. It may well be that GWS or the AFL NSW/ACT, which organised the match at Manuka, have utilised proceeds from ticket sales to provide that bus subsidy for Giants members and those attending the game. I will need to check the details of that and Minister Rattenbury may have some further information from the ACTION end. But it is certainly the case that the hirers of the venues make those arrangements with transport companies.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.
MR DOSZPOT: Minister—I presume Mr Barr—continuing on the same line of questioning: what other organisations have the same free travel arrangements with ACTION as do GWS?
MADAM SPEAKER: Which minister wants to answer that one?
MR RATTENBURY: I will take that. I think that sits within ACTION. As Minister Barr has outlined—and I will check this—sporting organisations generally pay for that; it is a service as part of the conduct of the sporting event. As to other circumstances where there is free public bus transport, a recent example would be the Multicultural Festival. That was done across government. That was a shared arrangement between the Community Services Directorate and the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate. It really is a matter of discussion, I guess, on the nature of the event and the quantity of buses that are being provided. I would be happy to give further information if there are specific examples the opposition would like to know about.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.
MR DOSZPOT: Minister, how do sporting organisations register for free all-day services for their members?
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