[Greens-Media] $180 student bus co-payment is unfair and unnecessary

[John Kaye]

$180 student bus co-payment is unfair and unnecessary

Media release: 8 November 2008

NSW Treasurer Eric Roozendaal is sacrificing public school parents  to protect bus companies' profits and wealthy private schools' enrolments, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.

Dr Kaye said: "If the the Treasurer had been prepared to genuinely tackle the wastage on phantom trips and the expense of moving students passed their nearest public schools, parents would not be facing an impost of up to $180 a year to get their children to school.

"Mr Roozendaal has squandered the opportunity to clean up the rorts.

"Instead he has decided to hit struggling families with an extra annual cost.

"The Rees government will raise less than $45 million a year from the co-payment.

"This is small beer compared to the big savings that could be made from ending the subsidies for trips that never happen.

"Stopping the payments for phantom rides would save at least $100 million a year.

"Ending subsidies for students who travel past their nearest public schools would also reduce the scheme costs by more than $100 million per annum.

"The Treasurer prefers to tax working families rather than standing up to the political power of the private bus companies and the wealthy private school lobby.

"When parents hand over their $90 per secondary student and $45 per primary student for their kids' bus passes, they need to remember who really calls the shots in Eric Roozendaal's NSW," Dr Kaye said. 


For more information:	John Kaye 0407 195 455