Members of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and opposition MPs gathered outside Metro Tasmania headquarters yesterday to protest the state government’s refusal to rule out privatising the operator.
Fears of fare increases, service cuts and deteriorating working conditions for drivers were top of mind, with Labor’s shadow transport minister Meg Brown condemning the privatisation agenda.
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“We are in this mess because [Premier] Jeremy [Rockliff] cannot manage money and now he’s flogging off state assets to fix a budget that he himself has wrecked,” Brown says.
“This government has critically under-funded, under-supported and under-resourced Metro Tasmania, with the end game of selling it off in their fire sale.
“We require a strong public transport network and that starts and ends with Metro Tasmania as a backbone of our public transport system.”
RTBU branch secretary Byron Cubit says privatisation is an “outdated ideology” and that the it should be abandoned altogether.
“Quite frankly, you’d struggle to find a driver that would support the idea. We’ve seen time and time again on the mainland, privatisation leads to service reductions, high fares and cuts to workers’ pay and conditions,” Cubit says.
“If you cut these drivers’ pay, you will not have a public transport system in Tasmania.”
The protest comes amid ongoing concerns about driver shortages, unreliable services and a failure to deliver promised safety improvements.
Back in December, Tasmania transport minister Eric Abetz avoided answering questions retaining to the possible privatisation of Metro Tasmania during numerous meetings.
In response to questions from Meg Brown, he declined to commit to rule privatisation in or out, instead saying he was focused on delivering the best service possible.
“This morning on my bus commute into Hobart, the bus was jam-packed with commuters. Reinstating services, providing upgrades promised by Minister Abetz and showing some love for Metro should be a priority for the Rockliff Government, rather than flogging it off to the highest bidder,” Burnet says.
“Public transport is a fundamental service that Tasmanians expect the government to provide. The Liberals shouldn’t be selling off Tasmania’s public assets to paper over their budget issues.”
She says the Greens met with the union last week where concerns were raised about conditions, and ways of improving conditions were explored. She has now written to Abetz asking him how he can improve bus services and conditions for drivers.
“In other jurisdictions like South Australia and Victoria, it is clear that privatising services only leads to worse outcomes and higher costs. Is this what Minister Abetz really wants for Tasmanians in a cost-of-living crisis?” Burnet says.
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