Mr PETER DRAPER (Tamworth) [1.58 p.m.]: For a developed nation in the twenty-first century the provision of public transport in rural and regional areas is abysmal. I often hear metropolitan members of Parliament, such as the member for Baulkham Hills who we have just heard speak, complain about transport shortfalls in their area, and I can sympathise with city commuters facing traffic jams or having to travel on buses where rail extensions should have been built. However, in many rural and regional areas public transport is virtually non-existent. Tamworth is a regional city with an urban population of more than 42,000 and yet there is no public transport, apart from taxis, to disperse crowds from entertainment venues most Friday and Saturday nights.

I welcomed the recent introduction of pensioner Regional Excursion Daily [RED] tickets for country seniors as a positive step to remove the long-term transport discrimination they faced compared with their city cousins. But this initiative has highlighted many problems that must be addressed when providing public transport for rural and regional residents. Transport is essential for people needing to access health services and the many other services that people require in their daily lives. It seems that the announcement of the RED tickets was rushed through, with bus operators not fully aware of the tickets' availability, while the transport authorities have failed to think the process through properly. It has brought forward many shortcomings that I will attempt to address today, and will detail further in future.

When examining transport options in country areas one can see that there are clear distinctions in services. School bus services are either A contracts, the old non-commercial contracts, or B contracts, which are mostly town-orientated services. A contracts are not RED ticket eligible, while B contracts are. For example, Millerd's service from Breeza and Curlewis to Gunnedah is a B contract, allowing passengers to transfer without extra charge to Hopes' bus service in Gunnedah. Hope's service to Lake Keepit is a B contract, with RED tickets available. However, the connecting McPherson's bus to Tamworth is an A contract, where RED tickets are unavailable. That means the only public transport option for Gunnedah residents is a long train trip to Werris Creek and then a change onto the Tamworth Buslines service to Tamworth. When people reach Tamworth they have less than an hour and a half to do their business before catching the bus again for the long return trip. I challenge members to try to get from Gunnedah to Tamworth hospital for a medical appointment under those time restrictions. It is impossible.

The Quirindi and Werris Creek bus to Tamworth is a B contract, with RED tickets allowed, and probably provides the best link available. However, Boggabri to Gunnedah is a real problem. Both Hopes and Haire's, which was formerly McKenzies, are A contracts and have no access to RED tickets. Until March 2004 there were three Boggabri to Gunnedah buses, with Hopes of Boggabri supplying two, and a McKenzies bus providing some additional capacity for other travellers. However, falling numbers led to the cancellation of one of Hopes' services. Patronage has picked up again and the Hopes bus that starts from Willala Hall and then runs through Boggabri to Gunnedah has 65 seats, but up to 75 students travelling. Haire's is a 57-seater with 65 students on the list. Not every child travels daily, but it appears that Haire's bus has students standing every day, and Hopes has students standing on some days. There is no capacity for adults or pensioners to use these buses.

All B contract buses, being public passenger services, come under the requirements of the Disability, Discrimination Act of 1992, while A contracts, being exclusively school buses, are exempt. Under the B contract, all buses used must have low floor access by 2022. Since 2007, one-quarter of buses now comply, 50 per cent must comply by 2012, 75 per cent by 2017 and the full complement by 2022. These buses have lower capacity, with 49 to 53 seats, compared with 61 to 65 seats. The Tamworth Buslines fleet will require about seven low-floor buses by 2022 to service Quirindi-Werris Creek, Manilla, Bendemeer and their town services. The remainder are exempt. Similarly, Hannafords has to comply for its Westdale and Coledale town services, but its school buses are exempt. Hannafords realise that many country people are likely to help should a bus break down out of town, so it lets these people on and radios ahead for a town service to give them a RED ticket when they arrive in Tamworth.

Tamworth Buslines is trying to work out a similar way to get around the problem. The A contract buses are fully funded plus costs, while B contract buses are funded per passenger carried and have route obligations—that is, town services. One operator advised me it was told that the RED tickets were not introduced to increase patronage but, rather, to fill vacant seats while not leading to a need for extra bus capacity. The discrepancies in rural and regional areas must be addressed to allow all bus services to carry seniors and other travellers who cannot access a car. Until the problem is fixed, health services, educational facilities, including TAFE, and many other essential services remain out of reach for far too many country people. This situation needs urgent attention from the Government. Bus New South Wales has detailed the anomalies to transport officials, who seem reluctant to act because it may cost more. One operator told me that the Ministry had dug itself another hole without thinking about it properly. Country taxpayers need public transport, and they deserve to have a reliable and usable service.