Queensland State Government Announces 50 Cent Trips on Public Transport as Election Nears

Heavy traffic heads south at Yatala, in Brisbane. The premier says he hopes more people will take public transport. Jono Searle/Getty Images

A surprise move by the Labor state government of Queensland to offer 50-cent tickets for public transport will only win over urban commuters already committed to the Greens.

That’s according to a political expert, who says the incumbent government is only delaying a likely election loss in October.

Griffith University Associate Professor Paul Williams provided his insight to The Epoch Times after it was announced that from Aug. 5, all Translink public transport tickets would cost just 50 cents as part of a six-month trial.

Translink is government-run and is the largest provider of train, bus, and ferry services in Brisbane.

But Assoc. Prof. Williams said the problem with policy “sugar hits” was that they seldom worked in an election, and voters often had short memories.

“The problem is also that only a minimal number of people use public transport,” he said.

The people who were most likely to use it and swing their votes to Labor, he said, were Greens-partial city-slickers who—might—angle their vote the way of Premier Steven Miles.

The rest of the state, he says, is likely to forget all about the move, some in as little as 48 hours.

Labor Started on a High This Year, But Lost Ground

The professor said Queensland voters were open to giving Labor a chance once Mr. Miles took over from outgoing Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last year.

Mr. Miles started above water, and the electorate “gave him a chance,” he said.

But Labor’s primary vote is almost certainly likely to sit around the 20 percent mark in Queensland, largely due to voter dissatisfaction in four key areas: cost of living, law and order (especially youth crime), housing, and health.

“Nothing will stop [Opposition Leader David] Crisafulli becoming premier in October,” Mr. Williams said.

Labor is likely to lose 20 to 25 seats to the LNP (Liberal National Party) and some to the Greens, and there’s nothing they can do about it, according to the academic.

“It won’t be a wipe-out, but it'll be a comfortable victory,” he said. “Labor’s careering to certain defeat.

“This [50 cent fares] was announced quite quickly and these sorts of sugar hits don’t last.”

Voters would most likely like to have seen changes to interest rates, mortgage payments, and grocery bills, he says.

Noting the LNP will need to also outline its policy objectives clearly if it wins government to avoid being seen as “rudderless” to a fatigued public.

50 Cent Tickets an ‘Act of Desperation’: Former Premier

Former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman questioned why Labor did not introduce cheaper public transport earlier given the party held power in the state for 30 of the past 35 years.

“It’s a blatant vote-buying exercise,” he told The Epoch Times. “I think it’s an act of desperation by the premier.”

Former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman termed the cheap tickets an interesting "experiment". Glenn Hunt/Getty Images

Mr. Newman said it would also lead to a difficult decision for an incoming LNP government who would need to decide whether it could afford to maintain the initiative or not, likely to cost millions.

But Mr. Newman, who served as premier from 2012-15, said the move could also be a good way to determine whether public transport ridership increases.

“It’s going to be a very interesting experiment to see what happens to public transport patronage in Queensland,” he said, noting it could ease pressure on the roads.

“For all intents and purposes, it’s making public transport almost free. I don’t believe it’s sustainable, suddenly, it’s a massive increased cost.”

Costs could also come in the form of the requirement of more services to bolsters convenience and reliability, he stated.

Push Towards Taking Public Transport, Easing Congestion

The 50 cent fares has been crafted to address two blaring bugbears among the state’s voters, cost of living and inner-city congestion, with Mr. Miles encouraging more people to take public transport.

“I expect this will save Queenslanders thousands of dollars over six months, and encourage more people to catch our fast, frequent and 50 cent public transport,” he said in a statement.

“Encouraging more Queenslanders to jump on a bus or train to get to work or school will help bust congestion.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles says the public can trust his government to ease the cost of living. AAP Image/Jono Searle

“Queenslanders are doing it tough, but they can trust that my government is here to help, and we’re doing what matters to Queensland.”

The LNP opposition provided a statement to The Epoch Times, saying the party believed Labor had driven costs up and was desperately trying to hold on to voters.

“The LNP supports more cost-of-living relief, Queenslanders are doing it tough under a Labor government that’s driven-up living costs,” a spokesperson said.

“The LNP is committed to long-term underlying cost of living relief, but after nine years of Labor driving-up costs, Queenslanders see Labor will now do and say anything to cling to power, including announcing measures which expire just weeks after the election.”

But Minister for Transport and Main Roads Bart Mellish assured the public the move was one that would help provide hip pocket relief.

“The Miles Government is providing critical cost of living relief to Queenslanders,” he said in a statement.

“This initiative will importantly mean money in the pockets of families across Queensland.”

Queenslanders will head to the polls on Oct. 24.