Mr BAILEY - 1998-08-11
Eighteen months ago, the minister promised he was on the verge of cleaning up the mess the Country Liberal Party administration had created in the taxi, private hire car and minibus industry. This affair has dragged on now for 18 months, and it has caused uncertainty and anger. During this time, the minister has refused to speak to the industry and has refused to speak to opposition members. He has presented the industry and the opposition with a wall of silence. Why has he carried out his duties in such an arrogant and incompetent way, and why has he treated those involved in the industry with such contempt?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is a good question because it was a terribly complex issue that required a great deal of consultation. In fact, it has been 17 months since I introduced the freeze and between 30 and 40 meetings have been held with the industry representatives, and they have been very extensive meetings. The Taxi Council has been to see me.
Let me give advice of one problem I had with the minibus industry. No peak industry body represented the minibus industry. I had to ask that such a body be formed so I knew who I was speaking to for a start. That was an issue. The private hire car people were more organised, but they had to be consulted extensively as well and right across the Territory. I am talking about consultation in Gove where I understand there are 5 taxis. People are involved in Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Katherine. All those people, right across the industry, had to be consulted, and it was not an easy task. We employed a special consultant by the name of Otto Alder, who is well known to people in this Assembly, to conduct inquiries.
Mr Bailey: And ignored all his recommendations.
Mr COULTER: No, we did not. In fact the basis of the Alder report remains complete. The mode and the method upon which we have now opted, once again after consultation. Everybody that has been in the taxi or the private hire car …
Members interjecting.
Mr COULTER: … or who knows anybody who gets into one …
Members interjecting.
Mr COULTER: … the taxi industry itself is fragmented. Not all of them belong to the Taxi Council or one of the various cooperatives. Therefore, every one of them had to be consulted. It was because of that consultation process that it went to a full party room meeting yesterday. As late as yesterday, some compromises and alternatives were put to me by my parliamentary colleagues, which I took on board and we are acting on them. In fact, the results of the alternatives that were put to me yesterday will be known and decided on in Cabinet this Friday. Do not speak to me about consultation.
Mr Bailey: 18 months.
Mr COULTER: That is right.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: It is an extremely complex issue. We are talking about investors in the Northern Territory who have spent their superannuation, their life savings, to amass $27m or more of property. We will not simply rip that off people over night. This has to be treated with a great deal of sensitivity and time must be allowed, and I have provided that to them.
When the member walks out of here, if he thinks there is a problem, I believe he will find that the Taxi Council will be saying that Barry Coulter is the best thing since sliced bread. That is what its members will be saying because of that consultation process. Let us see if I am wrong on that.
What was at stake here, Madam Speaker, was that we had to provide the community with the flexible, available, safe and affordable passenger transport. The need was for a fair and equitable playing field. Nobody is complaining about minibuses. They are considered to be one of the best things to have happened since sliced bread. In fact, if I am considered to be as good as a minibus by people, I will be happy. The public loves them. They work very well, and the demand for them is high.
The private hire car industry also needed to be addressed. We needed to eliminate the situation where the institutional investor - 80% of them in the Northern Territory, 50% in Alice Springs - getting a return on their $230 000 plate, before one tyre turn of the fellow who owned and operated the taxi cab. That is what we have sought to achieve in all of this. We have reduced the capital outlays of the taxi owner/operator quite considerably, and I believe the fare structure will therefore stay as is, or it may even reduce. We have deregulated the industry and allowed anybody to be a taxi operator who wants to be. We will ensure that standards of operation are maintained, and I believe it is a win-win situation for everybody involved in the industry.
In terms of what the member for Wanguri could have contributed to that process, I do not think it would have been very much. In fact, I think it would fit under this fingernail.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr COULTER: I have made up my mind and your ability to contribute …
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr COULTER: There is no bipartisan approach on this. There will be no bipartisan approach by you and me, let me tell you that now.
Madam Speaker, I thank my honourable colleagues for their input over that 17-month period and for the constructive input they have made towards the resolution of this issue. In particular, I thank the Treasurer for his involvement on this very technical money matter. I believe we will have a better, more flexible industry now and that everybody will be extremely happy. There will be a settling in period which is to start on 1 January through to 30 June next year.
Once again, I thank my colleagues for their constructive input. If the member for Wanguri wishes to contribute, he has extensive priors and they are firmly in my mind and they are not very good for him. If he is able to clean the slate, I may be prepared to talk with him.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is a good question because it was a terribly complex issue that required a great deal of consultation. In fact, it has been 17 months since I introduced the freeze and between 30 and 40 meetings have been held with the industry representatives, and they have been very extensive meetings. The Taxi Council has been to see me.
Let me give advice of one problem I had with the minibus industry. No peak industry body represented the minibus industry. I had to ask that such a body be formed so I knew who I was speaking to for a start. That was an issue. The private hire car people were more organised, but they had to be consulted extensively as well and right across the Territory. I am talking about consultation in Gove where I understand there are 5 taxis. People are involved in Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Katherine. All those people, right across the industry, had to be consulted, and it was not an easy task. We employed a special consultant by the name of Otto Alder, who is well known to people in this Assembly, to conduct inquiries.
Mr Bailey: And ignored all his recommendations.
Mr COULTER: No, we did not. In fact the basis of the Alder report remains complete. The mode and the method upon which we have now opted, once again after consultation. Everybody that has been in the taxi or the private hire car …
Members interjecting.
Mr COULTER: … or who knows anybody who gets into one …
Members interjecting.
Mr COULTER: … the taxi industry itself is fragmented. Not all of them belong to the Taxi Council or one of the various cooperatives. Therefore, every one of them had to be consulted. It was because of that consultation process that it went to a full party room meeting yesterday. As late as yesterday, some compromises and alternatives were put to me by my parliamentary colleagues, which I took on board and we are acting on them. In fact, the results of the alternatives that were put to me yesterday will be known and decided on in Cabinet this Friday. Do not speak to me about consultation.
Mr Bailey: 18 months.
Mr COULTER: That is right.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr COULTER: It is an extremely complex issue. We are talking about investors in the Northern Territory who have spent their superannuation, their life savings, to amass $27m or more of property. We will not simply rip that off people over night. This has to be treated with a great deal of sensitivity and time must be allowed, and I have provided that to them.
When the member walks out of here, if he thinks there is a problem, I believe he will find that the Taxi Council will be saying that Barry Coulter is the best thing since sliced bread. That is what its members will be saying because of that consultation process. Let us see if I am wrong on that.
What was at stake here, Madam Speaker, was that we had to provide the community with the flexible, available, safe and affordable passenger transport. The need was for a fair and equitable playing field. Nobody is complaining about minibuses. They are considered to be one of the best things to have happened since sliced bread. In fact, if I am considered to be as good as a minibus by people, I will be happy. The public loves them. They work very well, and the demand for them is high.
The private hire car industry also needed to be addressed. We needed to eliminate the situation where the institutional investor - 80% of them in the Northern Territory, 50% in Alice Springs - getting a return on their $230 000 plate, before one tyre turn of the fellow who owned and operated the taxi cab. That is what we have sought to achieve in all of this. We have reduced the capital outlays of the taxi owner/operator quite considerably, and I believe the fare structure will therefore stay as is, or it may even reduce. We have deregulated the industry and allowed anybody to be a taxi operator who wants to be. We will ensure that standards of operation are maintained, and I believe it is a win-win situation for everybody involved in the industry.
In terms of what the member for Wanguri could have contributed to that process, I do not think it would have been very much. In fact, I think it would fit under this fingernail.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr COULTER: I have made up my mind and your ability to contribute …
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr COULTER: There is no bipartisan approach on this. There will be no bipartisan approach by you and me, let me tell you that now.
Madam Speaker, I thank my honourable colleagues for their input over that 17-month period and for the constructive input they have made towards the resolution of this issue. In particular, I thank the Treasurer for his involvement on this very technical money matter. I believe we will have a better, more flexible industry now and that everybody will be extremely happy. There will be a settling in period which is to start on 1 January through to 30 June next year.
Once again, I thank my colleagues for their constructive input. If the member for Wanguri wishes to contribute, he has extensive priors and they are firmly in my mind and they are not very good for him. If he is able to clean the slate, I may be prepared to talk with him.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016