Union leaders and opposition MPs have rallied against the state government’s refusal to rule out privatising Metro, warning of fare increases, service cuts and deteriorating working conditions for drivers.
Speaking at a protest outside Metro Tasmania headquarters on Wednesday, Labor’s Shadow Transport Minister Meg Brown condemned the privatisation agenda.
“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 said.
“We require a strong public transport network and that starts and ends with Metro Tasmania as a backbone of our public transport system.”
Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) Branch Secretary Byron Cubit called on the government to abandon not just the Metro privatisation plans but privatisation altogether.
“It’s an outdated ideology that does nothing to actually address the real issues on the ground,” he said.
“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.”
“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.
Greens Transport Spokesperson Helen Burnet MP has thrown support behind the union’s position, describing the plan as “ill-conceived”.
“This morning on my bus commute into Hobart, the bus was jam-packed with commuters,” Burnet said.
“Reinstating services, providing upgrades promised by Minister [Eric] Abetz and showing some love for Metro should be a priority for the Rockliff Government, rather than flogging it off to the highest bidder.”
Minister Jacquie Petrusma said the review, which is assessing all government-owned businesses except Hydro, is about delivering a “better quality service at a cheaper price”.
“The whole aim of this assessment is to ensure that we do have high quality services in Tasmania that provide better value for Tasmanians,” she said.
