Page 441 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
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Where is the fairness? Where is the equality? Where is the social justice from those opposite? Where is the workers party? I can tell you where it is not, Madam Speaker: it is not on the other side of the chamber.
MR RAMSAY (Ginninderra—Attorney-General, Minister for the Arts and Cultural Events, Minister for Building Quality Improvement, Minister for Business and Regulatory Services and Minister for Seniors and Veterans) (10.37): When I commenced looking at the motion from Miss C Burch that is before us today, I thought it important to correct a few factual errors in it. When working through the motion part by part, I realised that there were simply so many parts of it that are factually inaccurate that it was important to spare the Clerk from having to amend every single point individually. Indeed, I decided that it was necessary to substitute the entire motion with something that is actually correct.
There is an amendment that will be circulated shortly. The one that has been circulated is not complete. There was an error in the photocopying. It will be coming through soon. Again, the length of the amendment that I will be moving—
Opposition members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Resume your seat, minister. Stop the clock. Members, that is what has happened, as I understand. Keep your interjections somewhat quieter and civil in manner. Attorney.
MR RAMSAY: The changes this government has carefully rolled out in an evidence-based way do not disproportionally hit the entire taxi industry. In fact, they have reduced many of their costs. The demand for taxis has not fallen dramatically. The government has not announced that it will release 142 government leased plates. A working with vulnerable people check does not take nine weeks. Private citizens cannot get the requisite criminal history check on their own. And the government is already looking at changing allowable vehicle ages for taxis.
Miss Burch has been held up as an expert on public sector management and expenditure. Of course, I believe that experts would know the importance of checking the facts that they are seeking to rely on. I want to make clear that the government recognises just how important on-demand transport is to Canberrans. These services enable participation in the life of our city and provide a means for social inclusion in the community. In particular, Canberrans with a disability, including those who rely on our wheelchair accessible taxis, rely on these services.
For our many visitors to Canberra each year for business and for tourism, on-demand transport services are often the first contact they have with our city, and it is vital that their standard of service is high. The ACT government considers taxis to be a vital part of our on-demand transport sector. That is why the inevitable arrival of rideshare platforms in 2015 saw the government provide reforms to support the sustainability of the taxi industry. Continued viability for drivers and the provision of safe and high quality service were the central concerns underpinning these reforms.
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