Taxi deregulation has destroyed licensees’ lives, Melbourne Transport Forum hears

SEVEN taxi licensees have taken their own lives since the State Government deregulated ride-sharing, a packed Melbourne transport forum heard last night.

SEVEN taxi licensees have taken their own lives since the State Government deregulated the taxi industry, a packed Melbourne transport forum heard last night.

More than 200 people attended Melbourne Town Hall last night to hear Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan, Liberal public transport spokesman David Davis and Sam Hibbins from the Greens go head-to-head on big-ticket Melbourne transport issues.

The forum, moderated by City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp, was dominated by fiery taxi owners and advocates, one of whom repeatedly asked the Minister to “address the seven people who have died because of your legislation”.

They told the forum seven people had taken their lives after losing their assets under the scheme.

One, Barbara Richardson said the hundreds of thousands of dollars stripped from the values of taxi licences had ruined many taxi owners.

TAXI LICENCE OWNERS FIGHT FOR FAIR DEAL

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“I know of a person who owned 19 licences through hard work and sacrifice and your government pulled the rug from under their feet along with many thousands of other families. But more importantly you have left them broken people and (ineligible) for the so-called Fairness Fund. How do you justify such an outrageous decision knowing full-well the repercussions of that decision?” Ms Richardson said.

Ms Allan took aim at the previous Liberal government for the way deregulation, and opening up the ride-sharing market to Uber and others, had been handled.

“The previous government … put a process in place under the responsibility of Allan Fels that oversaw massive change in the taxi industry,” Ms Allan said.

“And over that period of time taxi licence values went from around the $450,000 to $500,000 mark to around the mid-$100,000 during that period of time and not one single cent of compensation was offered, not one single cent of transition support.

“We’ve taken a very different approach recognising that change was upon us. We couldn’t bury our head in the sand and ignore these changes coming and for people like those taxi licence holders that we weren’t going to leave them to the wolves of this market-based industry.”

Ms Allan said the government felt a responsibility to help licence owners transition into the new scheme, which was why it had invested nearly $400 million in “transition assistance”.

She said there were also more drivers and more wheelchair accessible taxis on the road thanks to the legislation.

But Mr Davis said what the government had done to licence owners was “completely reprehensible”.

“People have had their assets crushed in a way that is not the system that is operated in any other state,” Mr Davis said.

Carolyn, from Geelong, said the government had “comprehensively destroyed over 3500 Victorian perpetual taxi licence holders”.

“How would you live your life moving forward, if you walked out of your office today and you were given $40,000 and sent on your way,” Carolyn said.

“You have lost your job, you have lost your income, your superannuationm your retirement, your legacy to your children all gone. However you still have debt for the home that you own? How would you move forward with that? What would you do?”

Melinda said: “The Ombudsman found that the transition package and Fairness Fund for taxi licence holders was mismanaged and completely inadequate. As a result there have been suicides of taxi licence holders as their assets now have no value. Why did your government not provide the funds for a fair and adequate compensation to taxi licence holders?”

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

The forum was presented by Metropolitan Transport Forum and Leader Community News.

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