Public Transport

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Australian Democrats Senator Lyn Allison (Vic), which means it was unsuccessful.

Motion text

That the Senate:

(a) notes that the Metropolitan Transport Forum, comprising of 19 Melbourne municipal councils and 17 associated organisations and members, at a forum at the Melbourne Town Hall on 30 August 2007, has called on the Government to contribute to funding public transport services throughout Australia to meet the needs of public transport users for the following reasons:

(i) public transport contributes to the economic performance and liveability of cities and reduces car dependence and the costs of road congestion, estimated to be $10 billion nationally in 2005 and $20 billion by 2020,

(ii) one suburban train can remove 5 kilometres of cars from congested roads,

(iii) public transport enables Australia to respond to rising fuel prices and environmental sustainability,

(iv) petrol will continue to increase beyond $US70 per barrel with increasing world demand for oil, and only one barrel of oil being discovered for nine barrels being produced,

(v) public transport assists in access to jobs, education and services for people who cannot afford a car or who are unable to drive, including students, the poor, people with disabilities and the elderly, and helps to reduce socio-economic problems, social isolation and inequity,

(vi) public transport helps reduce health costs by reducing the effect of accidents and pollution on the national health bill and hospitals,

(vii) in-built walking to and from transport nodes contributes to regular physical activity, essential in reducing risks of cardio-vascular disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, depression, bowel and other cancers,

(viii) by increasing demand – Melbourne’s public transport use increased by 20 per cent in the past 2 years, and

(ix) in an independent Melbourne survey, more than 4 out of 5 respondents (83 per cent) said that the issue of public transport infrastructure would be of importance when deciding who they would vote for in the next federal election; and

(b) urges the Government to reverse its policy of denying public transport any funding in its transport budget determinations.