Page 4075 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 24 October 1990
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Of course there will be those who say that it will immediately allow a taxi owner to multi-purchase. I probably understand this Bill more than most in this house, given my family involvement in the industry, although not here in the ACT. I accept that the Taxi Industry Advisory Committee has recommended this change. Upon asking, I was advised by Mr Duby this afternoon that that in fact was the case. That is the relevant body to make the appropriate recommendation. I support this Bill and commend it to the house.
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (4.02), in reply: I am very pleased with the support given to this Bill to allow the Motor Traffic Act 1936 to be amended to allow taxi licences to be auctioned and leased. It is clear to me that an auction of taxi plates is the most appropriate method of allocating plates at this time. I am, however, conscious of the need to keep our options open in regard to the issuing of taxi plates, not only now but in the future, and I am therefore pleased that this Bill not only allows for the issue of plates at auction but also retains the option of selling the plates for a determined fee, such fee to be, as I said, determined by the Minister.
Removing the prohibition on leasing is, I believe, a step forward in opening up the industry to people who are committed to providing a better service. I am also encouraged by the requirement included in this Bill for lessees to be notified to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. This will enable records to be kept on who specifically has use, control and management of a taxi vehicle, which, in turn, will allow safety requirements to be policed more effectively - and, of course, also allows the good public image of the industry to be preserved and enhanced.
During the debate Mrs Grassby raised a few points. I think I should put into the record some answers to the questions she raised. She specifically asked about the reserve price that we are placing on plates. In respect of the reserve price for plates at auction, we have looked at the value of the plates in conjunction with vehicles, and we have looked at the market, as we see it from advertisements in the newspaper, et cetera, and it has been determined that the reserve price will be set at $100,000 per plate. I must point out that that does not include, of course, the price of the vehicle which is required to operate the business. But we think that is a reasonable price, and something which we feel the industry should be able to bear.
There is no question about the fact that consultation with the Taxi Industry Advisory Committee has occurred, and it is going to continue to occur in relation to the number of plates which are available to the public in terms of this industry. So TIAC has been advised and is fully aware of the issuing of these nine plates - one reserve and eight additional plates which are about to come on to the market. Of course, it goes without saying that any future issuing of plates would naturally be conducted after full consultation and cooperation with TIAC.
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