Page 3935 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 23 October 1990
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Mr Speaker, very often the taxi industry is not given the recognition it deserves. There are many hard-working small business owners out there trying, in what can be considered to be fairly tight economic times and times of considerably fewer disposable dollars, to make a living and provide a service to the community. Sure, it is an industry that always has to cope with criticism, whether or not fares go up. When the accommodation venues are full to capacity and taxis take a considerable time to arrive, the taxi industry and those owners and drivers are the ones who always seem to cop that criticism.
Delays in implementing fare increases have attracted criticism from the industry in the past. Delays in the legislative process have contributed to what is perceived to be a reluctance to sanction any fare increases. Development of a more constructive relationship between the Government and the private sector is, I believe, welcomed wholeheartedly. The amendment proposed in the Bill will help achieve this goal without reducing the power of the decision or the degree of consultation that has had to occur.
In fact, Mr Speaker, while taxi fares will be able to be increased more regularly, the increases will be smaller and will allow those people in small business to better budget for their business over a period of time. Reducing delays will allow the merits of the case to be considered without acrimonious interchanges arising from the process of setting fare levels.
As I have already said, Mr Speaker, there is industry support for this proposal, and its implementation will decrease the time between the application for a fare adjustment and the implementation of new fares. This support has been expressed by the ACT Taxi Industry Advisory Committee, a committee established by the Government to advise on matters affecting the taxi industry in the ACT. This committee, having representation from consumer and tourist organisations, is also a forum for input from interest groups in the community. It is a very effective forum for the airing of such issues.
This is not a radical proposal, simply a sensible one. In fact it brings us into line with New South Wales, where taxi fares are also set by determination. Given our closeness to Queanbeyan, I believe this gives much greater equity to owners of taxis in both cities.
The Government has provided a forum in the form of the Taxi Industry Advisory Committee, as I said earlier, whose operation is intended to permit timely consultation on important elements of the taxi industry and clients. This amendment is also part of the Government's endeavour to enhance the operations of the industry. The introduction of this Bill is another example of how this Government is
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