CORONAVIRUS —
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
271. Hon TIM CLIFFORD to the minister representing the
Minister for Transport:
I refer to the COVID-19 pandemic
plans regarding public transport in Western Australia.
(1) Does the
government have a plan to close the public transport services if the
transmission of COVID-19 increases in the coming weeks; and, if yes, can the
government table the strategy?
(2) Will the
state government provide specialised services for the elderly or those who rely
solely on public transport, if that is the case?
(3) If public
transport services are not suspended, will the state government freeze or waive
public transport fees to support those who have been financially impacted by
the pandemic?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The honourable member has added words to the
question. I will answer the question that was submitted earlier. The member
cannot add words when asking the question because the answer will be out of
whack. I will answer the question that was submitted.
(1)–(2) The
Public Transport Authority will follow the advice provided by the Department of
Health and national cabinet. To date, no such advice has been given.
(3) The state
government announced on 16 March 2020 that there will be no increase in public
transport fares this year.