Two Australian states are offering their residents free public transport amid the ongoing fuel shortage.
Over the weekend, the Tasmanian government announced that public transport would be free across the state from Monday.
“We know the rising cost of fuel is impacting the family budget, and that’s why we have again taken strong and decisive action to protect Tasmanians,” Premier Jeremy Rockliff said in a statement on Sunday morning.
“Tasmanians are increasingly choosing to use public transport, with a 20 per cent increase across the state in the last week.”
Minister for Transport Kerry Vincent said the offer would include all regional and rural services, and would amount to a saving of $20 a week for students catching the bus all week.
Independent MP Helen Burnet said the measures were a good start, but she would like to see the Tasmanian government offer more bus services throughout the crisis.
“Tasmanians are really feeling the pinch when they go to the petrol bowser and are filling up — it’s costing them a lot of money,” she said.
“So, having alternatives to using the car every day is such a good response by the government to all the calls that have been made in parliament.”
On Saturday, Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan announced that trains, trams and buses in the state would be free for all from Tuesday.
“This won’t solve every problem, but it’s an immediate step to help Victorians right now,” she said.
So far, the other Australian states and territories have not followed suit, with New South Wales announcing it would not be introducing free transport options anytime soon.
“I want to be clear, the NSW government isn’t going down the path of free public transport for a couple of days, or for a month,” NSW transport minister, John Graham, said on Sunday.
“This situation will last for more than a month. We need to keep our powder dry to be able to assist the broader economy,” he continued.
“That’s the concern of the NSW government, we’re really planning to make sure that we can make it through this next period.”
State Treasurer Daniel Mookhey told also 2GB the government didn’t want to make any “knee-jerk” decisions in reaction to the fuel crisis, which could end up being “expensive”.
“I can’t tell you when this conflict is going to end,” he said.
“When it comes to public transport, as I think you flagged earlier, we are obviously looking at what our options would be, but I can definitely tell you it’s an expensive decision.”
WA Premier, Roger Cook, also ruled out offering free public transport, saying the state’s fares were already at a “historically low” price.
“Rick Astley was top of the charts when fares were this low in Western Australia back in the 80s,” he said on Sunday.
The South Australian government has announced it has made public transport free for seniors and cheaper for school students, while Queensland already has 50 cent fares.
“The introduction of the Queensland government’s permanent 50 cent fares in February last year has made travelling by train, bus or ferry in Brisbane more accessible and affordable than ever,” a spokesperson for Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads told SBS News.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
