Opposition Media Release: Mickel deploys Labor's blame game on Go Card failures

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Tim Nicholls MP
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
Shadow Minister for Transport, Traffic Management, Trade, Employment and
Industrial Relations Member for Clayfield

23 April 2008

MEDIA RELEASE: Mickel deploys Labor's blame game on Go Card failures

BRISBANE bus drivers are the latest political scapegoat in Labor's blame
game over the troubled Go Card ticketing system.

The Transport Minister yesterday accused bus drivers of manually
overriding the clocks on Go Card scanners and overcharging commuters.

But it wasn't true.

According to Brisbane Transport it is not possible to override the time
clock which is automatically updated through the Cubic system.

Shadow Minister for Transport Tim Nicholls said the State Government
refused to accept responsibility for the on going faults with the Go
Card system.

"First the Government blamed Cubic for the five year delay in the
roll-out, now they are accusing bus drivers of doing the impossible," he
said.

"The Transport Minister has been 'loose with the truth' when it comes to
the Go Card ticketing system.

"Rather than admitting this is another technical problem with the
programming of the software, the Minister instead engages in Labor's
habitual blame game - this time targeting bus drivers."

Mr Nicholls said he had been contacted by bus drivers angry they were
being blamed for what was obviously a technical fault.

"Bus drivers are already being forced to deal with a new ticketing
system which does not always work," he said.

"I call on the Minister to own up to the system's problems and to
apologise to the hardworking bus drivers who are forced to deal with a
faulty system.

"Why are commuters still being forced to deal with these problems on a
daily basis?  The Government has had more than five years to get the Go
Card system up and running."

Examples of Labor's promises:

6 July 2005 - Media Statement, Transport Minister Paul Lucas -
"Smartcard will be rigorously tested throughout the second half of this
year before it's rolled out across the network early next year.  This
will help TransLink iron out any technical glitches."

14 July 2006 - Media Statement, Transport Minister Paul Lucas - "...we
want to make sure that the technology is absolutely, 100% to our
satisfaction before we 'go live' and I make no apology for insisting on
the best outcome for our public transport users."

9 December 2007 - Media Statement, Transport Minister John Mickel - "The
system is now being fine tuned to be ready by the end of 2007.  I have
said all along I wanted to be sure the smart card system would meet the
needs of public transport users before it is released and that is what
we will be doing."