Greens call on Premier to rule out Sydney Ferries privatisation

"The Premier should rule out any form of privatisation of Sydney Ferries. The Special Commission of Inquiry into the Corporation should not become a backdoor way for the government to justify selling off the fleet," Ms Rhiannon said.

"Former ferries boss, Rear-Admiral Chris Oxenbould, announced last August that Sydney Ferries Corporation was developing a privatisation plan for the ownership and maintenanceof the ferries.

"Coming into the state election the Labor government went quite on these plans.

"The Commission of Inquiry into Sydney Ferries is urgently needed but that should not be used as cover for privatisation.

"On election night Premier Iemma said his number one priority was to fix public transport.

"The Premier would be wise to announce that no form of privatisation will be considered so Brett Walker SC can conduct his inquiry without the distraction of the ownership question.

"The forces backing privatisation are clearly intent on gaining a sell-off recommendation. Premier Morris Iemma needs to be a vocal voice for a quality publicly owned ferry service.

"Handing over Sydney Ferries to the private sector would result in cherry picking. The well-patronised services would survive while the less popular routes would inevitably whither and die.

"The job of government is to provide effective, reliable and safe public transport across Sydney. These services are too important to be determined by market forces alone.

"The government should have some foresight and expand ferry services around the Harbour and along Parramatta River to help relieve road congestion. The increase in medium density housing, particularly along the Parramatta River, clearly warrants more public transport options," Ms Rhiannon said.

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