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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 358 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 26 May 2020 by Mr T.J. Healy

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

CORONAVIRUS — PUBLIC TRANSPORT

358. Mr T.J. HEALY to the Minister for Transport:

My question is a relevant question to the Minister of Transport. Can the minister please outline to the house what impact COVID-19 has had on public transport usage across Perth; and, furthermore, can the minister please outline to the house the advice of WA's Chief Health Officer about public transport?

Ms R. SAFFIOTI replied:

I thank the member for Southern River for that question about public transport usage in Western Australia. The COVID-19 crisis has had an impact on public transport patronage across the state, as has happened across Australia and the world. We took an early decision to implement an increased cleaning and sanitation regime, and we initially reduced services, noting that at one point we got down to about 11 per cent of pre-COVID-19 patronage. We then took another decision to bring our capacity back, utilising all available bus and train carriages, because we wanted to make sure that when people were ready to come back onto our public transport system, we had the capacity and we were ready and waiting. We are now averaging around 40 per cent of pre-COVID-19 patronage, and this makes people feel safe. Even though social distancing is not required, it allows people to walk onto buses and trains with room to spare, and that is what is giving confidence back.

Ms L. Mettam interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Vasse.

Ms R. SAFFIOTI: Given what I know, given the facts, I was surprised last Thursday night clicking through Twitter to see a tweet from the shadow Minister for Transport, the member for Vasse, that showed a very, very crowded train. I thought, ''Hang on, that doesn't seem to match reality.'' The opposition spokesperson for transport —

Several members interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Vasse, I call you to order for the first time. Member for Bateman, it is not your question.

Ms R. SAFFIOTI: The member for Vasse tweeted and said, ''Look how busy this train is.'' That is what she did.

Ms L. Mettam interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Vasse, I call you to order for the second time. Do you want to go home early? Is there something on in Margaret River?

Ms R. SAFFIOTI: When I saw that tweet from the member for Vasse, I thought that we cannot trust anything the Liberals say about public transport. They lied about the Ellenbrook rail line and they lied about Metro Area Express, so we cannot trust anything the Liberals say about public transport.

Several members interjected.

The SPEAKER: Members!

Ms R. SAFFIOTI: So I did a quick search, and it did not take long to see where that photo came from. That photo came from 2012.

Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for Bateman!

Ms R. SAFFIOTI: It is even more radical because it was a tweet from Hon Ken Travers' staffer about the lack of rail cars purchased by the previous government. The lazy opposition used a tweet from a campaign in 2012.

Several members interjected.

The SPEAKER: Members!

Ms R. SAFFIOTI: Of course, it was shared by the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Bateman. Instead of apologising when she was found out, in this morning's paper, do members know what the member for Vasse said? She said, ''I googled a photo.'' Why does she not catch a bus or a train and see for herself, yet here she is defending it with another tweet? She is very active on Twitter but does not ask me any questions in this place. We know that the Liberal Party copied Hon Ken Travers when it came to the Forrestfield–Airport Link and now it has copied a photo in relation to the campaign from 2012. Do members know what this again confirms? We cannot trust the Liberal Party when it comes to public transport. It will say and do anything. It will lie to the WA public on public transport. Members opposite have been caught out because they are too lazy to do real work.