Ministerial Statement: Come clean Campbell on city bus funding

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport
The Honourable Rachel Nolan
09/06/2010

Come clean Campbell on city bus funding

The State Government today challenged Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman to match funding - 50/50 - for Brisbane buses.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said it's time for Council to come clean about how much they actually commit to city buses.

"The truth of the matter is that Campbell Newman has done to public transport what John Howard did to health," Ms Nolan said.

"In the last six years he has steadily cut his share of funding to buses while the Bligh Government has moved in the opposite direction with increased funding to $91 million in 2008-09.

"Matching funding from Council would deliver at least $27 million for more services across the city.

"Of the 125 new buses Council will build in 2010-11, the State Government will fund every last one of them.

"Not a cent will be coming from Council.

"When his LNP was elected in 2004 they paid 50 per cent of the cost of Brisbane buses. Today that has fallen to a miserly 40 per cent."

In March the Lord Mayor wrote to the Bligh Government pleading for the State to take over complete responsibility for the running of city buses.

"On the one hand the Lord Mayor wants to offload responsibility for running buses but on the other claims success on the back of majority funding the state already supplies.

"It's time for the Lord Mayor to come clean about funding for the city's buses," Ms Nolan said.

"Every time you see a sign on the back of a bus spruiking 500 new buses for Brisbane you can thank the State for funding them.

"When the Lord Mayor is challenged, his only response has been to blame other councils and try to give the buses away."

Ms Nolan said the Government would continue to meet the needs of a growing population through recording funding of $7 billion in this year's budget.

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[#Metro]

Another cross politics veiled attack.
I hate releases like this.

The funding formula should be no different to the funding formula used anywhere else in the TL area.

[somebody]

Yes, well wouldn't increased council funding result in reduced state funding?  Stop hiding behind promises to increase services and admit you just want to cut funding.

Notice how they promised every cent of the increased fares would be spent on services?  Seems that this has not, in fact, happenned.

[#Metro]

Time to cancel the phantom rail and phantom ferry services and bring on the real services.
(On the other hand, i am over the moon re: Springfield rail)