Senator John McGahon- speech from 1 Feb 2023

Thank you very much. Yes, Senator Sullivan, I don't know if I'd like to be here when I'm 70. I don't know. Maybe I would. Who knows? I'd have to be here for 42 years, if that was to be the case. But, Leader, today, one of the first issues I actually raised in the Senate two years ago when I came to this House was the concept of flexible travel tickets and commuter tax-saving tickets. And basically, through various discussions with the NTA over the last year, the NTA's goal of introducing a commuter ticket has really just fallen right down their list of priorities. And bear in mind, this time last year, they said it was going to be introduced in Q1 of 2022. So it went from being so close to the finish line, so close to being ready, so close to being implemented, to now being so far down their list of goals and objectives that it's not getting a fair hearing anymore. One of the reasons why that is, at the time they said that they were, and I can understand this and I accept it, they were focused on introducing the 20% cut for fairs right across the board. They were focused on introducing the 50% cut for people between the ages of 18 and 23 right across the board. They've all been achieved now. They've all gotten across the line now. And I think what really, you know, me getting up in the Senate isn't going to be able to get the NTA to change their minds. But what I think will change their mind is the Minister making a direct appeal to it. It's not up to the NTA to decide what are their priorities or not. This is something that's going to benefit commuters right across this country. It is something that was so close to being introduced and it hasn't been now, for some reasons based around technology, which I accept that if you were to have a commuter ticket, it would need to be accessible across all rail, across all buses. And obviously, you know, that's different in certain sectors, whether you're on, say, a public bus, a private bus, or a different rail station or not. However, my point, my genesis of my point is, and why I'm speaking today about it is, I think we need much higher up government. We basically need the Minister to say, look, NTA, we need you to revisit this. We need to really consider being introduced. And I think those, I think that ask has to come from the Minister and the Department directly. And that's what I'd hope to see. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.