Former Queensland Rail Chief Operating Officer Kevin Wright has pointed the finger squarely at the Palaszczuk Labor Government and the influence of the rail unions as the cause of Labor’s ongoing rail fail.
Mr Wright told 612 ABC Brisbane that the Labor Government should have been responsible for taking action to fix the rail crisis but didn’t.
Mr Wright proposed to get the trains running again by not moving to the new enterprise agreement. Former Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe rejected this – which gave the unions more power.
Shadow Transport Minister Andrew Powell said these revelations came with a service-cut timetable to run over the long weekend, which would see passengers waiting up to two hours for trains from the Sunshine Coast.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk is squarely responsible for Labor’s continuing rail fail where trains run late – if at all,” Mr Powell said.
“Annastacia Palaszczuk had the unenviable record of the worst Transport Minister ever under Anna Bligh and now she’s stuffed up the trains as Premier.
“Kevin Wright’s admission today that the Palaszczuk Government could have fixed the timetabling problems ‘straight away’ if the unions weren’t calling the shots is an indictment on the Labor Party and their union masters.
“Why didn’t Annastacia Palaszczuk accept Mr Wright’s solution and stand up for passengers instead of the RTBU?
“Why do commuters have to accept a cut of 1,800 services each month because the Premier is spineless?
“Labor’s Rail Fail is disgraceful and commuters know who’s to blame.”
Quotes from 612 ABC Brisbane interview
WRIGHT: “It wasn’t a good way to retire and I certainly…I think it could’ve been fixed. Had they wanted to and had the unions worked with us we could’ve fixed the problem virtually … straight away when the new timetable came in.”
…
“I think I was … a scapegoat for something that could’ve been fixed had the right people taken the action to… listen to … how it could’ve back on track again”
AUSTIN: “Who were the right people who should’ve taken action?”
WRIGHT: “Well … I see it… as the Government.”
