Rail Safety National Law (South Australia) (Fees) Amendment Bill – Second Reading speech

Tuesday 2 May 2023 

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (16:50): I rise to speak on the Rail Safety National Law (South Australia) (Fees) Amendment Bill 2023. This is another important reform relating to safety on our railways, and I know how important safety is on our railways having represented engineers for many years in my role at Professionals Australia, and having two constituents who have worked in significant roles for many years on our railways. I am proud that South Australia is the lead legislator for the Rail Safety National Law and, further, that this bill has come to this place 12 years after the Council of Australian Governments' agreement that the national regulators for rail, maritime and heavy vehicles would progress towards full cost recovery from industry operators. 

The bill will make amendments to the Rail Safety National Law that are required to support the implementation of the new cost recovery model and associated changes. The Rail Safety National Law needs to be amended to allow a freight terminal to fall within the definition of a private siding, and to remove the requirement for an accredited and registered person to pay a fee when applying to vary their accreditation or registration. 

The bill will exempt tourist and heritage operators from the requirement to pay an annual accreditation or registration fee, require the National Rail Safety Regulator to ensure that tourists and heritage operators are recorded in the National Rail Safety Register, and allow the national regulations to prescribe a method by which accreditation fees, registration fees and exemption fees may be increased each year, and to require the regulator to publish said fees. The target date for the bill to come into operation is 1 July this year. 

The full cost recovery model will mean that governments in all jurisdictions will cease funding the regulator for regulating commercial operators. Currently the ACT, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Tasmanian and Victorian governments contribute over $10 million a year to fund the regulator. These are funds that can be used by the states and territories to deliver more services to their communities. 

I know from my constituent Trevor Milde that safety on freight and commercial railways needs to be strongly regulated to ensure the safety of everyone. I would like to send the appreciation of this parliament to Trevor Milde who spent 43 years servicing our community as a train driver. Trevor started with South Australian Railways then Australian National, before National Rail and Pacific Rail. 

In fact, Trevor had the privilege of returning the first Adelaide to Darwin Ghan service from Port Augusta to Adelaide, and through his career used to drive from Adelaide to Broken Hill in New South Wales, Dimboola in Victoria and Tarcoola on the Far West Coast of South Australia. Trevor's interest in trains has never diminished and he is still involved with the miniature railway at Regency Park, as well as having a fantastic set-up of railway memorabilia and a model railway in his home. 

We are talking about freight services today but the love of trains has often developed in families at model railways like that at Millswood where myself, husband and children, Lucy and Sam, spent many Sunday mornings in years past, riding the trains or those similar at Regency Park, Prospect, Penfield, Roseworthy, Morphett Vale, and Clare among other locations. There are the tourist and heritage railways such as the much-loved SteamRanger and Cockle trains plus the Pichi Richi railway. The subsidisation of the tourist and heritage sector by commercial operators will be significantly reduced under the new arrangements introduced by this bill. 

The states, territories and commonwealth will pay a total of $4.9 million towards the cost of regulating tourist and heritage operators. South Australia's contribution to cover tourist and heritage operations will be just 4.81 per cent of the $4.9 million national contribution; however, the larger commercial operators will be required to contribute to cover the regulator's fixed costs associated with the tourist and heritage sector. 

When talking about our railways, we cannot forget about our suburban trains and the dedicated Passenger Service Assistants (PSAs) and train drivers who work on our currently privatised suburban railway network. I know that our Minister for Infrastructure and Transport is undertaking the work required with Keolis Downer to bring back our trains into public ownership, as we promised some years ago now. 

I am lucky to have a woman in my electorate who was one of the first female drivers to drive Adelaide's trains. Carolyn Meridew was an assistant driver, first refuelling and moving trains before her career driving Jumbos, and diesel and electric trains. I am sure that most members can remember the Jumbos and some may remember the Redhens; I certainly do. I used to catch the Redhen from Hove to Marion station to get to school. In fact, there used to be ticket offices and canteens at stations such as Brighton and Oaklands in times gone past. 

Carolyn has undertaken many jobs on our suburban railways, from starting as a guard and a PSA conducting ticket checks and selling tickets to a senior PSA dealing with complaints and ministerials, checking emergency buttons and attending accidents, including a tragic accident at Salisbury just over 20 years ago. At that time, Carolyn was a stationmaster, undertaking more jobs that involved safety, including working with train control to set the signals, waving the safety flags and removing trolleys and other debris from the lines. 

Carolyn also has shared with me that she was a PSA on charter trips to the Barossa Valley and on a special service for the late Queen Elizabeth II when she visited the Barossa Valley. On these trips, the suburban train travelled on a freight railway, so for safety reasons, special clearance had to be obtained. When Carolyn was a senior PSA, she had to attend accidents and signal-passed-at-red incidents, both important safety roles. I do feel for those train drivers who are involved in any kind of accident on our train network. It must be a very distressing experience. 

I would like to express my gratitude to Carolyn for her significant service to our state as a PSA and driver and additionally as a union rep when she was part of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, campaigning to deliver domestic and family violence leave and additional sickness leave. Carolyn finished her career as the vice-president, representing women in her union. 

In conclusion, I will mention the automated protection system on the Seaford line, the planned $2 million upgrade to the Noarlunga interchange and $1.6 million to upgrade Clarence Park train station. I and my colleagues in the south, along with everyone on this side of the chamber, are fully committed to our public transport system. We are also committed to our heritage railways, which is why we are investing $9 million into essential upgrades for the SteamRanger Heritage Railway along our beautiful south coast. 

This is an important bill that will save governments across Australia more than $5 million a year, which they will now be able to invest for their communities. It will also make the system more cost-effective and simpler for commercial operators. I thank the regulator, our train drivers, engineers and rail workers and especially Trevor Milde and Carolyn Meridew. I commend this bill to the house.