Faruque Ahmed
President
TAXI INDUSTRY SERVICES ASSOSCIATION
PO BOX 349, Alexandria 2017 Ph: (02) 9564 1079 Mobile: 0418 227 551
MEDIA RELEASE
The long overdue Parliamentary Stay Safe Committee Inquiry into the Taxi Industry (http://www.geocities.com/taxisafety/) was killed by Premier Bob Carr, the call for an ICAC Inquiry (http://www.geocities.com/sydney_taxicorruption) went nowhere, the popular call for a long overdue Taxi Industry Royal Commission has faced stiff opposition.The Hylda Rolfe Inquiry recommendations, Taxi Drivers Safety Report (Keatsdale Report), Independent Pricing Tribunal Recommendation (IPART) have been twisted, misinterpreted or shunned throwing the abysmal performance standards by taxi cab networks to the backgroundand promoting the already biased enforcement activities of the Department of Transport even further onto the long persecuted, non owner taxi drivers (http://www.geocities.com/taxi_council/).
The Media Release of 6 July 2000 put out by the NSW Minister for Transport, Carl Scully clearly indicates the proposed and current redrafting of the Passenger Transport Act 1990 stems from the IPART (http://www.geocities.com/kangaroo_tribunal) Inquiry into the Taxi and Hire Car Industry released in November 1999. It further states, "legislation would be introduced into the next session of Parliament following industry consultation"Since then neither the "exclusive" Taxi Advisory Committee or any other industry stakeholders have had an opportunity to view, discuss or debate the proposed Passenger Transport Bill 2000 which is inextricably linked to "the standards" that flow from that Act. A few attempts to view the proposed Bill were unsuccessful. Thanks to Democrat leader Dr Chesterfield Evans, Independent MLC Richard Jones, Clover More MP and Lee Rhianon MLC for alerting us and made a copy ofthe proposed Bill became available to us.There are many flaws in the proposed Bill:
1. It gives unprecedented power to the Director General of the Department of Transport and thereby in many ways denies natural justice to taxi industry workers.
2. The Passenger Transport Act, in principle, is in place, to ensure a safe, efficient and reliable transport system for the people of NSW, BUT somehow the proposed changes are protecting the interests of a privately owned credit card company (hope nothing to do with Neville Wran) at the expense of discriminating against all other credit card companies and industry workers under the guise of unjustified and unlawful power to "networks".
3. It gives unlawful and undemocratic power to taxi companies who are not accountable to the Department of Transport or to industry workers.Why is the Minister for Transport so secretive like the taxi industry Mandarins?
Faruque Ahmed
15/11/2000
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