Mr WOOD - 2014-08-26
When the new correctional centre was being built, there was a public bus service planned to service the facility. This bus service could have taken workers, day release prisoners and visitors to and from the prison. It could have also taken workers to work from the INPEX village, families to the Howard Springs Nature Park and people living in the Howard Springs area to Palmerston.
Why have you rejected this service and said this is the responsibility of Corrections, when bus services are your responsibility? Are you now saying the Department of Education should provide buses for schools, the Department of Health should provide buses for RDH and the Palmerston Super Clinic, and Crocodylus Park should provide its own bus services?
Will you consider a two-year trial bus service for the prison in the rural area? If not, does this have anything to do with the sale of the Darwin Bus Service to a private company?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. I understand some work has been done on the viability of a bus service to the prison. When we look at spending taxpayers’ dollars it is an enormous cost for such a small service. Surveys have been completed in relation to that. We must look at how we will create the best, most efficient bus service.
When you talk about selling the Darwin Bus Service to private enterprise – they provide us with a service at a per-kilometre fee. We, as well as the department, determine the bus routes, so there will be a financial analysis performed. We do not run a bus service to Pine Creek or somewhere like that because it is not viable.
When you are left with a $5bn debt you could …
Mr Wood: I knew that was coming, but that is not the question.
Mr STYLES: No. You need to take these things into consideration. If you want to spend money unwisely – these are taxpayers’ dollars, and they expect us to provide a reasonable service for a reasonable cost. If we are looking at cost recovery, which we are not with regard to the public transport system, we will determine what is viable and what is not ...
Mr Wood: Show me a viable bus service in Darwin.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson!
Mr STYLES: If you look at what is available, member for Nelson, from the surveys there is a small number of people who would use that service. To run a bus there is not feasible. Corrections will put arrangements in place to have staff taken there. You talk about INPEX and Crocodylus Park; there are bus services which run past. If you want us to run a bus service into many private operations, it is not going to happen. The department looks at the most effective and efficient use of taxpayers’ dollars for these services.
We will look at a new ticketing system to gain further information as to who uses the buses on which routes at what times. That trial system is in place at the moment; we will gather data which will give us information as to whether pensioners, students or people on weekly or monthly tickets are using the buses. There is a range of things we will gather data on.
If, at some stage in the future, there is a demonstrated demand and the department believes there is a viable service, we will look at putting the service in place. Until then we will continue to gather data.
Why have you rejected this service and said this is the responsibility of Corrections, when bus services are your responsibility? Are you now saying the Department of Education should provide buses for schools, the Department of Health should provide buses for RDH and the Palmerston Super Clinic, and Crocodylus Park should provide its own bus services?
Will you consider a two-year trial bus service for the prison in the rural area? If not, does this have anything to do with the sale of the Darwin Bus Service to a private company?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. I understand some work has been done on the viability of a bus service to the prison. When we look at spending taxpayers’ dollars it is an enormous cost for such a small service. Surveys have been completed in relation to that. We must look at how we will create the best, most efficient bus service.
When you talk about selling the Darwin Bus Service to private enterprise – they provide us with a service at a per-kilometre fee. We, as well as the department, determine the bus routes, so there will be a financial analysis performed. We do not run a bus service to Pine Creek or somewhere like that because it is not viable.
When you are left with a $5bn debt you could …
Mr Wood: I knew that was coming, but that is not the question.
Mr STYLES: No. You need to take these things into consideration. If you want to spend money unwisely – these are taxpayers’ dollars, and they expect us to provide a reasonable service for a reasonable cost. If we are looking at cost recovery, which we are not with regard to the public transport system, we will determine what is viable and what is not ...
Mr Wood: Show me a viable bus service in Darwin.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson!
Mr STYLES: If you look at what is available, member for Nelson, from the surveys there is a small number of people who would use that service. To run a bus there is not feasible. Corrections will put arrangements in place to have staff taken there. You talk about INPEX and Crocodylus Park; there are bus services which run past. If you want us to run a bus service into many private operations, it is not going to happen. The department looks at the most effective and efficient use of taxpayers’ dollars for these services.
We will look at a new ticketing system to gain further information as to who uses the buses on which routes at what times. That trial system is in place at the moment; we will gather data which will give us information as to whether pensioners, students or people on weekly or monthly tickets are using the buses. There is a range of things we will gather data on.
If, at some stage in the future, there is a demonstrated demand and the department believes there is a viable service, we will look at putting the service in place. Until then we will continue to gather data.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016