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Canberra Times . . Page.. 435 ..

The plate value would then fall. The money raised would be paid as compensation to existing plate-holders. More auctions would be held over time with ever decreasing plate values. Until the time would come when anyone who satisfied strict safety requirements could ply the streets.

The three essential points are: gradual moving to financial deregulation; fair compensation to existing plate-holders; strict safety requirements for the financially deregulated industry.

The present system imposes a large tax on taxi users.

Mr Speaker, the taxi industry is an integral part of the public transport system. Indeed, only yesterday we heard people arguing about the Nightrider service that has been disbanded and the fact that a taxi service would be cheaper under those circumstances. With current technology it is possible to integrate a taxi service with our current public transport service. It seems to me that that sort of issue is really worth exploring, not only from an economic point of view for the people of Canberra, not only from a social justice point of view for the people of Canberra, but also from an environmental point of view. For example, where somebody goes to a bus stop late at night and is able to use an electronic device to indicate that they are at the bus stop, it may be more appropriate to send a taxi along the bus route than to take a bus out and have it constantly running along that bus route.

There is no doubt in my mind, Mr Speaker, having raised this issue during the election campaign, that there is pressure on drivers not to speak up about the problems within the taxi industry. I think there will be a great challenge for a committee of this Assembly to pursue this issue further. I do not pretend that I have all the answers to this particular issue. That is why I was happy to concede that one of the suggestions I had made, which was improved upon in that editorial in the Canberra Times, was certainly acceptable to me.

The reason I would like to see this issue come before the Public Accounts Committee is that it fits appropriately into the terms of reference of that committee, although I understand that there is a possibility that there will be an amendment moved to send it to the Planning and Environment Committee, which includes in its terms of reference economic development. I think that is a matter that we could well debate, Mr Speaker, probably at the time when we debate Assembly business notice No. 2 standing on the notice paper in my name. I am happy for that debate to occur. The issue has now been raised in the Assembly, and I believe that the appropriate course of action is for an Assembly committee - whichever committee it is - to explore this issue carefully, with an open mind, and to determine whether or not it is appropriate for far less regulation. The term I still use is the “deregulation” of the taxi industry, in the way we normally mean it and in the way that was meant by the Trade Practices Commission. With those challenges, I believe that an Assembly committee will actually find that there are a number of things that they will be able to achieve in improving our taxi industry.

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