Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wish to inform the chamber that Senators Rice and Sheldon will also sponsor this motion. At the request of Senators O'Neill, Rice and Sheldon, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) recognises that:

  (i) the impending privatisation of buses in Sydney will be a disaster for commuters and transit staff,

  (ii) the Rail Tram and Bus Union of New South Wales (NSW) which represents the staff of the bus networks is adamantly opposed to the privatisation plans,

  (iii) the recent bus privatisations in the Inner West and Newcastle have resulted in reduced on-time running, cut routes, closing stops and poorer working conditions, and

  (iv) tens of thousands of Sydney residents have already signed petitions and rallied against privatisation;

(b) calls on the NSW Government to:

  (i) protect the jobs and working conditions of the around 35,000 workers who are due to have only three years of job security under this reckless scheme,

  (ii) scrap this reckless privatisation scheme, and

  (iii) invest in better publicly run and publicly funded transport services; and

(c) supports the work of the Rail Tram and Bus Union NSW Branch and Unions NSW in the fight for better public transport services and better working conditions for its members.