Vote for candidates who support transport workers

Federal election day has finally arrived, and by tomorrow night we should know who will be our forming our next Federal Government.

The RTBU’s Put Transport in the Fast Lane campaign has put a spotlight on transport issues, and the needs of transport workers.

Coming into the election, we asked all parties to commit to the following:

• Building more trains, trams and buses in Australia;
• Increasing Federal investment in public transport to provide Australians with better access to services and reduce our reliance on expensive imported petrol;
• Developing a long-term plan to grow jobs in the rail freight sector;
• Better integration of rail, road, sea and air transport; and
• Ensuring people doing the same job have the same pay and same standards of workplace safety.

We’ve been active in the media, and in local communities. We put pressure on all parties to commit to better transport.

Some of the highlights and lowlights of the election campaign were:

Labor promised to:
• invest $2 billion in the Melbourne suburban rail loop;
• partner with the McGowan Labor Government to deliver a local electric bus manufacturing facility and more than 130 new, locally manufactured electric buses; and
• enshrine ‘same job, same pay’ into law.

Labor has previously committed to conducting a comprehensive review of the rail freight sector.

The Liberal and National Parties promised to:
• Invest $1 billion in extra tracks at Wyong between Sydney and Newcastle – although the purpose of the upgrade remained unclear;
• But they backed away from the final stage of the Gold Coast Light Rail project, with a senior Cabinet Minister calling for the Federal Government commit no further funds.

The Greens promised to:
• Put an extra $25 billion into rail and bus services;
• Build high speed rail from Melbourne to Brisbane; and
• Invest in getting more freight onto rail.

Importantly, 31 upper and lower house candidates from across Australia signed the #RTBUFastLane pledge.

The candidates who endorsed the pledge were:

NSW

VICTORIA

Lisa CHESTERS | ALP | Bendigo
Linda WHITE | ALP | Senate

QUEENSLAND

Terri BUTLER | ALP | Griffith
Donisha DUFF | ALP | Bowman
Ali FRANCE | ALP | Dickson
Penny ALLMAN-PAYNE | The Greens | Senate
Anthony CHISHOLM | ALP | Senate
Murray WATT | ALP | Senate
Madonna JARRETT | ALP | Brisbane
Rebecca FANNING | ALP | Longman

SOUTH AUSTRALIA / NORTHERN TERRITORY

Louise MILLER-FROST | ALP | Boothby
Penny WONG | ALP | Senate
Tony ZAPPIA | ALP | Makin
Matt BURNELL | ALP | Spence

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Anne ALY | ALP | Cowan
Tom FRENCH | ALP | Moore
Amanda HUNT | ALP | Canning

Tracey ROBERTS | ALP | Pearce

TASMANIA

Ross HART | ALP | Bass
Brian MITCHELL | ALP | Lyons
Chris LYNCH | ALP | Braddon
Julie COLLINS | ALP | Franklin
Simon DAVIS | ALP | Clark
Anne URQUHART | ALP | Senate
Kate RAINBIRD | ALP | Senate
Daniel HULME | ALP | Senate

When you go to vote, please support candidates who support better transport and transport workers.

Best wishes,

Mark Diamond
RTBU NATIONAL SECRETARY

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