Paper Petition

The petition of the undersigned citizens in the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the House peremptory and
dramatic changes to the pricing and conditions on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands passenger vehicle ferry services by
the management of Stradbroke Ferries Pty Ltd, impacting on residents and visitors to the Bay Islands. Pricing structures
and booking practices of over 20 years’ standing that were the basis for economic and lifestyle decisions by residents have been abolished with no consultation and less than two weeks’ notice to customers.

Your petitioners therefore request the House to ensure that the Minister require a service contract be drawn up, under the relevant provisions of the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994, for the regulation of the passenger vehicle ferry services to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands.

This contract would establish minimum set of service levels including:

1. Reasonable notice of changes to timetables, pricing, booking and payment methods;
2. Mechanisms for consultation with the Bay Islands community about service provision and proposed changes;
3. Regard for the essentially residential rather than seasonal tourist traffic on the Bay Islands service;
4. Reinstatement of the differential pricing structure to encourage the transportation of more vehicles and relieve pressure on congested mainland commuter parking facilities; and
5. Measures to ensure conformance with overall long-term transport and development strategies for South East
Queensland and Redland Shire Council.