A landmark report from the McKell Institute has called on the Tasmanian state government to make harassment of bus drivers illegal.
The report comes following an analysis of Tasmania’s “chronically underfunded” bus service”, with the institute urging the government to shield drivers from abuse with a new offence criminalising the harassment of transport workers.
The McKell Institute’s review of public transport funding also shows Tasmania spends the least per capita of any Australian jurisdiction on services at just $115 per head, equating to less than one per cent of its total budget.
“Tasmania’s public transport system has suffered from decades of underinvestment and that’s showing up in people’s daily commutes,” McKell Institute policy analyst Max Douglass says.
“This is compounded by the exit of drivers on the receiving end of rising abuse, harassment and even violence from disgruntled passengers.
“Criminalising this behaviour would make it easier to recruit and retain drivers while improving the overall quality and reliability of services.”
The institute’s proposal is styled after laws in NSW and South Australia that impose jail terms for assaulting a retail worker, making harassing, intimidating and abusing a transport worker a specific criminal offence in Tasmania.
The report, titled A Better Deal, highlights the areas with the greatest need for buses in Tasmania, including Glenorchy in Greater Hobart and Launceston’s northern suburbs.
Douglass says overhauling the funding and management of Tasmania’s bus service would provide a much-needed economic shot in the arm to the state.
“Equal service is not equitable service. These areas have low car ownership, relatively high poverty and should be prioritised for additional services,” Douglass says.
“Tasmania is losing out on significant productivity gains by failing to invest in public transport. An adequately funded bus system would create much-needed jobs, help meet emissions targets, unclog roads and reduce traffic accidents.
“South Australia, the next most populous state, spends nearly twice per capita on public transport. That’s the absolute minimum Tasmania must look at if it’s serious about creating a bus system that’s fit-for-purpose.”