Angela D'Amore - MP

13 October 2009

Mr Jeffrey Irvine
22 Gloucester St
CONCORD 2137

Dear Mr Irvine,

I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the delegation of Ferry workers who came to meet with me on 16th September.

Due to your support, the “Save our Sydney Ferries” campaign launch at Cabarita wharf was a great success.

Sydney Ferries have served the community for more than 100 years and it is vital this service be kept in public hands.

Sydney Ferries is in a good position for the tender process due to the union movement facilitating change to drive efficiency and improve customer service.

By working together, we can build a better community.

Kind regards

Angela D’Amore M.P
State Member for Drummoyne
Parliament of NSW

Christina DiBella - Putney

I am writing to you re the sale of NSW ferries to private enterprise.

I am strongly opposed to the proposed sale.

My daughter catches the ferry to and from school every day, using a ferry pass.

If the NSW ferries are sold off, will she still receive a ferry pass? I think not!

The staff have always been friendly, approachable and very helpful when my daughter has on occasion forgotten her ferry pass and has once or twice left items on the ferry, which we have recovered through contact and lost property.

My family and I have been catching ferries for many, many years and we have fond memories of our trips. My children work in the city and they both catch the rivercat to work from Kissing Point,
it is a quick convenient, wonderful way to travel.

Will they be able to continue this if fares increase. No they would not.

My mother who is in her 70's and her friends catch ferries on a very regular basis, they continue to do this because their experience is always a positive one.

When we have overseas visitors, a must do outing is a trip from Meadowbank to the City on the rivercat and also a trip from Circular Quay to Manly by ferry.

It is an affordable outing and a great way to see the icons of Sydney at close range.

Please do not sell off our ferries.

Yours faithfully


Christina DiBella
Putney

From The Greens

Congratulations. Save Our Sydney Ferries is an excellent initiative. This is a campaign that we must win. Sydney Ferries are a jewel for our city and harbour. This jewel can only shine when it is in public hands.

The Greens are opposed to privatisation of Sydney Ferries.

For the past two decades Labor and Coalition governments have pushed an agenda that puts the big end of town before people and the environment.

Privatisation of public assets and public-private partnerships do not serve the public interest.

Backers of privatisation boast of increases in productivity. But this is gained through reducing the quality of services, loosening environmental controls and cutting jobs, wages and conditions. And as sure as night follows day privatisation is followed by price hikes.

There are many examples of privatisation failures:
• In November 2006 the Victorian Government moved to buy back its country rail network from Pacific National at a cost of $130 million.
• The NSW government had to buy back the privatised Port Macquarie Hospital due to its long waiting lists and poor performance record.

Imagine if Sydney Ferries were sold off. A private owner would cherry pick the profitable runs and axe those services that did not return their desired profits.

Governments need to recognise that public transport is about providing a service. If it makes a profit that is good news for everyone but the starting point is to provide reliable, safe and frequent services that are well funded and properly staffed.

Remember in the last state election in 2007 Labor campaigned strongly to protect 20,000 public sector jobs that the Coalition planned to axe if they won government. The then premier Morris Iemma never mentioned any sell-offs of public assets and services during the election campaign. After the election Labor effectively adopted Liberal policies on the public sector.

Electricity privatisation proved to be the downfall of Morris Iemma. Will plans to privatise ferries, lotteries and prisons by the downfall of Premier Nathan Rees?

Strong community-union campaigns stopped government plans to privatise NSW electricity
in 1997 and 2008 and the Snowy Hydro in 2006. The Greens played an active part in all these campaigns.

In 2009 we will put plans to privatise Sydney Ferries in the rubbish bin of history.

Lee Rhiannon
NSW Greens MP