A SPAT has broken out between Redland City Council and the state government over ferry funding after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the government had stepped in to provide free inter-island travel after argy-bargy with council.
Mayor Karen Williams said an announcement that free inter-island travel would continue after the state government’s intervention because council would not cover costs was misleading and insulting.
“What an insult to Southern Moreton Bay Islands’ residents to ask them to continue paying and then pretend to be the saviour,” Cr Williams said.
“They are Robin Hood in reverse. They have been taking money from the residents who need it most and where has it gone?
“If the state government had just announced they were covering the cost of the free inter-island travel I would be the first to congratulate them but to try and score cheap political points by spreading mistruths is underhanded and insulting to the residents who have been paying it.”
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said council was not prepared to pay for travel between islands.
“Suddenly being asked to pay for these services after years of free travel would have hit the back pockets of islanders if it wasn’t for (Redlands MP) Kim Richards’ fight on this issue,” Mr Bailey said.
Ms Richards said the government would pay almost $400,000 a year for integrated ticketing and inter-island travel.
“This is excellent news for islanders who faced an uncertain future after Redland City Council ended the funding agreement it had in place since 2013,” Ms Richards said.
...There was no way I was going to let them (the state government) continue slugging residents.
- Redland City mayor Karen Williams
In November 2015, then transport minister Jackie Trad said in a letter to Cr Williams that no financial contribution for funding the ferry services was required from council beyond December this year.
The Southern Moreton Bay Island Translink levy, designed to set up the Translink service for the island, ends on December 31.
In June, Cr Williams said the levy had done its job with about 1400 trips a day on the service.
“...It is now over to Translink to maintain all the benefits residents have enjoyed once the agreement expires,” Cr Williams said at the time.
On Monday, Cr Williams said she first heard the levy was paying for free inter-island travel when Mr Bailey and Ms Richards asked that residents continue to pay the levy.
“Residents have paid enough for something that is freely available to other residents in south-east Queensland, why should they have to pay more?” Cr Williams said.
On Monday, Ms Richards said the state government would fund the SMBI network when fares returned for inter-island travel next year.
“With that agreement expiring it was about to move onto the Translink system which would have been a fared zone between islands for each of the residents,” Ms Richards said.
“Translink don’t offer free inter-island (transport) elsewhere where it’s not being subsidised…
“It’s great news for residents that they will be able to continue to stay connected with free inter-island travel.”
Cr Williams said residents had been paying $950,000 a year to have Translink services on the SMBIs and the agreement was for the levy to conclude at the end of this year.
“...There was no way I was going to let them (the state government) continue slugging residents,” she said.
“Now the state government has come out saying they have had to save the day because council weren’t prepared to cover the costs.
“This ignores the fact that the costs were paid by SMBI residents so the minister and Ms Richards are effectively saying residents should keep paying the $950,000 a year.
“The state government has been collecting $950,000 from residents for something that by their own admission costs $400,000 so where has the other $550,000 a year gone?”
