2021 Notice of Annual General Meeting

Members are advised that the 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Taxi Council of Queensland Incorporated (TCQ) will be held as follows –

Time:    9.30am to 10.30am
Date:    Monday 2 August 2021
Place:   The Star Gold Coast, Broadbeach Island, Broadbeach

The Agenda for the AGM will be as follows:

  1. Confirmation of the minutes of the 2020 Annual General Meeting
  2. Receiving of the Annual Report
  3. Election of the Councillors
  4. Election of Office Bearers (President, Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President / Secretary / Treasurer)
  5. Appointment of the Auditor
  6. Notices of motion
  7. General Business

All TCQ members are welcome to attend the 2021 AGM. However, only members who have pre-registered for the AGM by 4:30pm on Wednesday 28 July 2021 will be allowed admission into the meeting. To pre-register, please click here to access the AGM registration form.

If you have any issues completing pre-registration, please contact the TCQ office on (07) 3434 2100 for assistance.

Blair Davies
CEO
Taxi Council Queensland

2 July 2021

 

Selected Rules relating to the AGM in the TCQ Constitution

13.1  The Council of the Taxi Council shall consist of persons elected by Ordinary Members and Corporate Members of the Taxi Council in accordance with this Rule 13.

13.2  Subject to Rule 13.4 each Region shall be entitled to the number of Councillors calculated according to the number of licences held by members resident within that Region as follows:
(i) 0 to 199 licences – 1;
(ii) 200 to 299 licences – 2;
(iii) 300 to 399 licences – 3;
(iv) 400 to 499 licences – 4;
(v) 500 or more licences – 5.

13.3  Unless Rule 13.4 applies the Councillors for each Region shall be elected as follows:

(1)   Any Ordinary Member resident in the Region, or a person involved in the management of a Corporate Member from the Region may, by notice in writing to the Chief Executive Officer given not less than 14 days prior to the Conference, nominate to be a Regional Councillor;

13.4  Where in a particular Region any Corporate Member holds, together with its associated licencees, 101 licences or more:

(i)    that Corporate Member may nominate the following number of members or persons involved in  the management of a Corporate Member for election to the Council:

(a) 101 to 199 licences – 1 Nominee
(b) 200 to 299 licences – 2 Nominees
(c) 300 to 399 licences – 3 Nominees
(d) 400 to 499 licences – 4 Nominees
(e) 500 or more licences – 5 Nominees

13.5  All Councillors shall hold office from the date of their election …. until the following Annual General Meeting at which time they shall retire. Retiring members may be eligible for re-election in accordance with these Rules.

Any Councillor may nominate another Councillor to become the President of the Taxi Council by notice in writing to the Chief Executive Officer given not less than 21 days prior to the AGM.

Any member may nominate an elected councillor to become the Senior or Junior Vice President of the Taxi Council on the day of the AGM from the floor of the meeting.

Notices of motion must be duly signed by a proposer and a seconder who are both members in good standing and must be supplied in writing to the Chief Executive Officer not less than 14 days prior to the AGM.

Taxi industry says Cabbies deserve priority for COVID-19 vaccine

Media Release
February 19, 2021 

With the COVID-19 vaccination set to roll out nationally within the coming days, the taxi industry has appealed to the Commonwealth and State Governments to prioritise its drivers for COVID-19 vaccinations for the collective benefit of the community.

The peak industry body, the Australian Taxi Industry Association, has recommended a similar approach be adopted to the one implemented by the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) whereby taxi drivers and other public transit drivers are recognised as essential frontline workers.

This does not place taxi drivers ahead of the elderly, frontline medical and quarantine staff, but rather in the next high-priority category.

Mr Blair Davies, CEO of the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) says, just as in the US, taxi drivers should be included in Phase 1B of the rollout, recognising them as ‘essential frontline workers’. He believes taxi drivers logically fall into this group as they provide essential mobility services for many vulnerable people in the community.

“The taxi industry has approximately 12,000 drivers in Queensland who routinely may come into close and sustained contact with people at higher risk and vulnerability in regard to COVID-19,” he explains.

“The taxi industry is the only segment within Queensland’s Personalised Transport sector that has wheelchair accessible vehicles and these drivers obviously come into particularly close contact with passengers who need assistance due to disability. Securing wheelchairs and assisting with seatbelts is integral to these services being provided safely, but it puts our drivers in very close contact with passengers who may fall into the highest risk categories,” says Mr Davies.

Providing further supporting argument for taxi drivers to receive priority vaccination, was the recent incident of a Brisbane man who was twice made to get a cab from hospital to hotel quarantine, while not knowing his COVID status.

“We have queried a recent Government directive that taxi drivers can be required to transport passengers to quarantine and are awaiting a response,” Mr Davies said. “From an industry perspective, we want to make sure that cabbies can earn an income safely, whilst also minimising any risk for our passengers. If the Government expects taxi drivers to be transporting people to quarantine, they should be making vaccination available to cabbies as a high priority.”

Mr Davies says the TCQ notes that the Brisbane City Council has called for bus drivers to be considered a priority and that makes good sense. Bus drivers and taxi drivers are both very much on the frontline when it comes to providing essential mobility services for local communities.

“The rules clearly state that priority groups are to be identified by considering the public health, medical and epidemiological evidence on who would be most affected if they contracted COVID-19,” said Mr Davies. “Clearly, taxi drivers and bus drivers warrant priority under that logic and so hopefully we will see a decision along those lines from Queensland Health very, very soon”.

ENDS

Visitors to Queensland urged to ‘grab a cab’ and support local business operators

Media Release
December 3, 2020

After eight months closed off from Australia’s most populous states, Queensland’s border restrictions lifted on Tuesday seeing 6,000 interstate visitors touch down in the Sunshine State on that day alone.

It’s a welcome sight for the frontline of the tourism industry, Queensland cabbies, who have well and truly felt the impact of reduced interstate travel during the most restrictive periods of 2020.

The Taxi Council of Queensland’s (TCQ) CEO, Blair Davies, has welcomed the State Government’s move to deliver on its promise and reunite families and welcome visitors from across the border. TCQ says travelers can have confidence that taxis are ready and waiting to help them to get to where they need to be.

“The day the borders opened was a huge milestone on the path to economic recovery,” says Mr Davies. “Cabbies all over Queensland welcomed an influx of passengers at major airports. It was a privilege to be helping so many passengers journeying on to the homes of relatives and friends for long overdue catchups.

“Like virtually every other business that services the tourism sector, month after month this year our taxi operators had to struggle to keep vehicles on the road and available for local customers. Unlike some of our competitors, it just wasn’t part of the taxi industry’s DNA to abandon their social responsibility and leave local communities without essential transport. It’s something that we would urge visitors to consider when choosing a transport option these holidays, one that not only benefits them, but also the local community.

“It has been a tough year for everybody, so being able to provide our customers with a service that has no hidden surprises is a top priority for us,” explains Mr Davies. “It’s core to the way taxis service their communities’ needs and we’re happy to offer the same to visitors as well.

“Taxis have always charged reliable prices that are subject to maximums set by the State Government in line with community expectations and affordability. That means grabbing a cab comes without fare surprises or unpredictable hikes, even when it gets a little busy.

“Taxis also come in standard and extra-large sizes, which is a tremendous advantage if travelling as a large family or group of friends or with a mobility device like a wheelchair. Over twenty percent of the Queensland taxi fleet are wheelchair accessible vehicles that can carry up to ten passengers and two wheelchairs and with the Queensland Government’s commitment to support replacement of older wheelchair accessible vehicles in the fleet, the Queensland taxi industry is well placed to continue leading the world in quality accessible transportation services,” Mr Davies continues.

“With the border now open, things are looking up for more and more businesses in Queensland,” says Mr Davies. “Hopefully we will see consumers preferencing local Queensland suppliers in their buying decisions, like the local taxi service, as they get out and about and start spending again. Go on Queensland and grab a cab.

ENDS

Taxi industry urges Queenslanders to make safe travel choices this silly season

Media Release
November 27, 2020

As the year draws to a close, venues will be quickly booking up with work functions and celebrations aplenty. With the ‘silly season’ just around the corner, the taxi industry is getting ready for its busiest time of the year and its peak body, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ), is issuing a timely reminder for party-goers to prioritise safety when planning their journeys to and from festivities.

TCQ CEO, Blair Davies, says grabbing a cab takes the hassle out of finding and paying for parking and removes the need for anyone to draw the short straw of designated driver. Taxis are more than just a convenient choice, it’s the extra level of safety taxis provide to passengers that makes them the obvious option when heading home after a big night out.

“As always, our drivers will be working around the clock to shuttle passengers across Queensland as social calendars start filling up – but we can’t stress enough how important it is to keep safety a priority during a period where people are in a ‘festive’ state of mind.

“Taxis are easily the safest way for the public to get from A to B because they are all fitted with high-quality security camera systems and hardwired GPS tracking, safety features that ride-share vehicles typically never have.

“When you get into a taxi, it’s clearly identifiable as a vehicle accredited to provide a public transport service. It’s quite a different level of safety to jumping into a stranger’s private car, which may or may not be the one that’s been booked through an online platform,” says Mr Davies.

Mr Davies says while taxis are ready to service all Queenslanders during this busy time of year, they could always use a few extra hands at the wheel.

“Queenslanders are entitled to let their hair down after what has been an especially trying year, but it’s important to plan your journeys ahead of time as demand for taxis peaks and the roads get incredibly busy. As demand for taxis picks up during the festive season, it’s a great time to join the industry – or perhaps to swap over to taxis, for anyone who’s been a ride-share driver.

“Anyone looking for a change in career would be very welcome to try their hand at driving for a couple of shifts or more in a cab. Taxis are not just safer for passengers – they’re also a safer option for drivers as well.

“We know it’s been a tough year for everyone in the personalised transport sector and ride-share drivers have experienced probably the worst of it as passengers started factoring in the cleanliness of private cars versus commercially sanitised public vehicles such as taxis. It’s yet another reason for anyone thinking about driving, to consider joining our ranks and become a Queensland cabbie.”

Mr Davies also says the onus for safety this Christmas is not just on transport providers, but is also on the public, issuing a reminder for everyone to follow road safety rules and make smart choices.

“It seems a silly thing to remind people of, but remember to look both ways when crossing the street; always wear your seatbelt when travelling in a car; and don’t get behind the wheel if you’ve had one too many end-of-year beverages – that’s the time to grab a cab!”

ENDS

2020 Notice of Annual General Meeting

Members are advised that the 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Taxi Council of Queensland Incorporated (TCQ) will be held as follows –

Time:     10.00am to 11.00am
Date:     Wednesday 23 December 2020
Place:    Zoom (virtual meeting place)

The Agenda for the AGM will be as follows:

  1. Confirmation of the minutes of the 2019 Annual General Meeting
  2. Receiving of the Annual Report
  3. Election of the Councillors
  4. Election of Office Bearers (President, Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President / Secretary / Treasurer)
  5. Appointment of the Auditor
  6. Notices of motion
  7. General Business

All TCQ members are welcome to attend the AGM.  However, only members who have pre-registered for the AGM by Close of Business on Friday 18 December 2020 will be able to access the meeting. If wishing to attend, please click here to fill in the online AGM registration form.

If you have any issues with the online registration, please contact the TCQ office on (07) 3434 2100.

Blair Davies
CEO
Taxi Council Queensland
24 November 2020

Mark Bailey continues as Minister, ensuring wheels stay in motion with the taxi industry

Media release
November 13, 2020

On Wednesday, November 11, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk unveiled her new-look Cabinet with a number of new faces, as well as continuance of many experienced ministers, including the Minister of Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey.

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) CEO, Blair Davies, says Minister Bailey’s retention of the transport and main roads portfolio is a ‘welcome’ development and means there will be no loss of momentum waiting on a new minister having to be brought up to speed on the industry’s issues.

“Minister Bailey has worked well with TCQ to deliver some really important programs in recent years,” says Mr Davies.

“The State Government’s $21 million funding program to rejuvenate an aging fleet of wheelchair accessible taxis (WATs) over four years is a good case in point. It is an initiative that means our industry will be able to continue offering accessible transport service levels that are second-to-none in Australia.

“The Minister was also a champion for the taxi industry during COVID-19 by securing the $23 million unite and recover funding package that is helping keep taxi operators, licence owners and booking companies viable as they serve their local communities. The pandemic hit taxi businesses particularly hard, but our cabs stayed on the road notwithstanding the difficulties, and we now stand ready to play our role in the rebuilding of the Queensland economy.”

Mr Davies says that there is still much work to be done with Minister Bailey to ensure the personalised transport sector operates efficiently and in the best interests of Queenslanders.

“Taxi operators are still paying way too much for their CTP insurance and especially when compared to their ride-sourcing counterparts. We look forward to working with Minister Bailey and the Treasurer, Cameron Dick, on a solution that allows taxi and ride-sourcing services to compete on a level playing field. The days of taxi operators paying thousands of dollars more than their competitors for CTP insurance have to be brought to an end,” says Mr Davies.

“It’s also essential that the Government and the sector get serious about tackling climate change issues arising from too many vehicles on our roads, and the pollution and congestion they cause. The taxi sedan fleet is almost entirely comprised of fuel efficient hybrids and we would be using the same technology for our wheelchair accessible taxis if models were available in Australia. It’s time for the Government to follow the lead of New York and start capping the number of ride-sourcing vehicles that cruise the streets empty, in the hope of connecting with a passenger. With about seven ride-sourcing vehicles for every one taxi, we have reached the point of oversupply and most certainly don’t need any more.

“TCQ’s message for Minister Bailey is a simple one, welcome back and let’s get cracking on making the personalised transport sector even more efficient and productive for Queensland communities,” says Mr Davies

ENDS

Scooting sounds like fun, but what about safety and public nuisance?

Media release
October 30, 2020

The emergence of new micro-mobility services, such as dockless electric scooters, have proved an inter-esting innovation within the transportation industry over recent years, with companies like Lime and Neu-ron Mobility pitching themselves as convenient and cost-effective mobility options for consumers. How-ever, the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is warning Local and State Governments that they need to take a more careful approach to these new technologies, and not only for the sake of protecting the safety of e-scooter users but for the wider community also.

While ‘e-scooters’ appear to have found something of a market fit in Brisbane and are now trying to do the same in Townsville, negative headlines about safety concerns continue to dominate. Overseas re-ports consistently show that e-scooter accidents not only can, but do happen and frequently result in seri-ous injuries requiring hospitalisation and sometimes result in death. They sound a warning bell for the Queensland Government and Local Councils that safety concerns about e-scooters are serious and they do not seem to be going away, especially while new developments in their technology tend to focus on making them bigger, go further and at faster speeds.

The death of a Lime Scooter user in Brisbane in May 2019 was the first serious event locally that high-lighted the risks e-scooters carry, when a 50-year-old man was allegedly found to be travelling well above the advised speed limit, resulting in a crash and head injuries that unfortunately proved fatal.

This incident saw Pedestrian Council of Australia Chairman, Harold Scruby, call for all e-scooters to be banned, along with the Queensland Ambulance Service issuing safety warnings to all riders following a spate of hospitalisations as a direct result of scooter accidents.

The Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council nevertheless permitted e-scooters to continue operation, presuming the community remained supportive of the technology, and still wanted access to the ‘fun’ and novel convenience it offered for getting short distances around the city.

The positives of easy scooting, however, also come with other downsides than user safety worries. For example, TCQ is particularly concerned that scooters are being left haphazardly on footpaths around city central business districts or simply abandoned and dumped in other public spaces.

“The haphazard discarding of scooters on Brisbane footpaths has become more than just a general nui-sance for pedestrians, it’s creating trip hazards for taxi passengers getting in and out of cabs, and poten-tially dangerous obstacles for people with sight impairment or using a wheelchair or mobility scooter. It’s time for some of the rights of e-scooter users to be reined in so that the rest of the community can enjoy their rights to unobstructed use of public footpaths,” says TCQ CEO, Blair Davies.

Countries such as New Zealand have seen legal damage payouts close to $14million to date as the result of dangerous scooter incidents, with France and Spain completely banning all forms of e-scooters,

emphasising an urgent need for all levels of government in Queensland to take the necessary precau-tions now to ensure e-scooters are safe for our communities.

“Urban CDBs are not the wild west and so leaving it up to e-scooter businesses to set their own safety standards is not an option. It is up to the State Government and City Councils to ensure micro-mobility scooters are properly regulated so they don’t put the community at risk or inconvenience. E-scooter users should be able to happily zip and scoot around town, but only if they can do so without causing harm or inconvenience to everyone else,” says Mr Davies.

ENDS

Dear future Premier, the CTP scheme is a disaster for taxis; please fix it!

Media Release
October 23, 2020

The Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) is urging all political parties contesting the upcoming election to take a stand on the outrageous inequality in Queensland’s Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance scheme, causing hardworking cabbies to pay premiums massively higher than their counterparts operating ride-sourcing vehicles.

Because of an anomaly in the current CTP scheme, taxi operators pay almost $3,000 a year more per vehicle for CTP than their competitors, despite the respective services being provided, having near identical risk profiles.

It’s an inequity that TCQ CEO, Blair Davies, says carries “no rhyme nor reason” and puts an unnecessary financial burden on Queensland small businesses that local communities rely upon for essential travel services.

About 80 per cent of the Queensland taxi fleet are hybrid sedans or wagons that are affected by the classification anomaly in the CTP scheme. The other 20 per cent are wheelchair accessible vehicles and are allocated to a different CTP class than taxi sedans. Much to the annoyance of disability advocates, none of the ride-sourcing platforms operating in Queensland, or elsewhere in Australia, have any wheelchair accessible vehicles in their fleets (i.e. 0 per cent).

“TCQ is calling on everyone putting themselves up for election to form Government, to make a decision about whether it’s fair and whether it’s reasonable, to have government regulated CTP premiums for taxis at $3,731 per annum while an equivalent ride-sourcing vehicle, backed by billion dollar multi-nationals, gets away with paying just $811 per annum,” says Mr Davies.

“We are seeing small taxi businesses, many of which are simple family businesses, being driven into fi- nancial difficulty, and even bankruptcy, because of excessive cost burdens that their competitors escape through loopholes or special exemptions. CTP premiums are not the only example of excessive costs be- ing born by mum and dad taxi operators, but they are the biggest one and the one that Government could quickly fix.”

“This is a not a cry for a handout or even a help-up. The taxi industry is simply asking whoever makes up the next State Government to prioritise the removal of grossly unfair advantages created by government regulation that favour huge foreign companies over Queensland small businesses. Queensland cabbies can compete with the best in the world, but let us do so on a level playing field and stop tying our hands behind our backs with unfair extra costs.”

“We hear a lot from Governments around the country saying they want to get their economies growing again and acknowledging they need to support local businesses, particularly their local small businesses, to make that happen. Well it’s time to move past the rhetoric and commit to action. Time is up on hoping the CTP inequality might fix itself, it’s not a mirror that needs looking into, it’s a real problem that needs to be fixed as a priority by whoever gets to be the next Queensland Government,” Mr Davies continues.

Within the personalised transport sector, taxis are usually categorised as an essential service. During times of natural disaster or crisis, such as cyclones, floods and bushfires, taxis are typically the last vehicles on the road before conditions become unsafe and some of the first vehicles back on the road helping with the recovery. Mr Davies says this commitment by cabbies to support and service their local communities was again on show this year during COVID-19, even when travel and gathering restrictions made it difficult and uneconomic for taxis to be operating.

“Queensland taxis remained on the road throughout COVID because that’s who we are and what we do. Cabbies are members of their communities and committed to providing them with essential travel services when they need them. Being local small businesses is really what makes us different to ride-sourcing companies and, quite frankly, we’re proud about being local and different,” says Mr Davies.

Mr Davies says the TCQ’s appeal to political parties to commit to fixing anomalies in the CTP scheme carries with it, a message to Queensland voters. “It’s time for communities to value their local businesses, particularly their local small businesses, and to demand the removal of regulatory cost burdens that fall unfairly Queensland businesses. It may not be unreasonable for large companies to leverage economies of scale that they create, but it is completely another matter when the businesses of large foreign multi- nationals are allowed to escape or avoid costs because of unduly favourable treatments by government.

“The Queensland CTP scheme is a disaster for local small business taxi operators and it is well and truly overdue for fixing. No matter who wins the upcoming election, removing the inequity in the CTP scheme for Queensland taxi operators deserves to be one of their top priorities,” says Mr Davies

ENDS

TCQ farewells Life Member, Ray Mitchell, may he rest in peace

11 September 2020

Members of the Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ) are saddened as we farewell Ray Mitchell, who passed away at 91 in the early hours of Tuesday, 8 September 2020.

A Life Member of TCQ, Ray was an inspiration to many within the industry.

Ray made significant contributions to the taxi industry through his role as President of TCQ from 1991 through till 1999. As President he navigated the State through a boom of technological advancements and guided the industry though the reform period that saw the implementation of the Passenger Transport Act in 1994. In recognition of this strong commitment to the industry, Ray was honoured by his peers by being inducted as a Life Member of TCQ in 2002.

Of course there was more to Ray’s career than just taxis, having worked as a butcher, bookmaker and publican, amongst other jobs. He was even on the board of selectors for the Country Rugby League team for a time. However, it was after he and Colleen made the move to the Gold Coast that Ray stepped into the taxi industry in his 50s. Ray is remembered as a licence owner whose dedication and passion for customer service saw him quickly rise to become the Chairman of Regent Taxis.

Zara Trengrove, a family friend and colleague of Ray, remembers him as one of a kind.

“They don’t make them like they used to. Ray was very lovely person and completely professional,” said Ms Trengrove. “Ray certainly was the gentleman of the taxi industry.”

John Detsikas, long-time friend of Ray, said the industry has lost an inspirational person who always delivered great work.

“Ray was a great man for the industry through the different struggles across the years. He was a great chairman, a great leader and a great man,” said Mr Detsikas.

“The taxi industry prospered under Ray’s leadership, [and] a lot of people had great admiration for Ray.”

He is survived by his wife Colleen, and a large family of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Ray’s funeral will be held on Wednesday, 16 September 2020. Due to strict COVID-19 protocols, the family has asked TCQ to keep a list of those who wish to attend to help assist with contact tracing requirements. For details on where to send condolences, please contact TCQ on 07 3434 2100.

ENDS

TCQ President’s Message

31/07/2020

Over the last four (4) months Taxi Council of Queensland (TCQ), together with the Australian Taxi Industry Association (ATIA) have successfully lobbied for the inclusion of the taxi industry in a number of financial assistance packages being paid by the Federal and State Governments, associated with the economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Initially, this effort involved ensuring that sole traders, as well as partnerships and trusts, were eligible for the Federal Government’s JobKeeper assistance package. The ATIA, through our CEO Blair Davies joined with a number of other like-minded peak bodies to lobby the Federal Government to ensure small business owners were eligible for the financial assistance. With the Federal Government ultimately accepting the principle being advocated, the ATIA then worked with the ATO to determine how and when taxi drivers, operators and licence owners could qualify for the JobKeeper package. Pleasingly, much of the Australian taxi industry has been able to enrol for JobKeeper using the guidance and assistance of ATIA.

An important aspect of this scheme is that as small business owners, taxi drivers and operators have been able to continue providing transportation services for their local communities, even when it wasn’t really viable to do so. Being able to access the Federal Government’s support has been crucial for keeping taxis on the road and ensuring our local communities did not go without an essential service, critical to the wellbeing of so many Australians.

Concurrent with the effort to secure access to JobKeeper for most of the Australian taxi industry, the TCQ was lobbying the State Government to provide funding assistance to members so that the Queensland taxi industry would be in good shape to support economic recovery in their communities. The hard work that went into that lobbying proved very successful. On 16 June 2020, Premier Palaszczuk announced the COVID-19 Unite and Recover Financial Assistance Package for the taxi and limousine industries. The $23 million stimulus package includes:

· One-off payments of $3,500 per vehicle to taxi operators.

· One-off payments of $1,000 per licence to taxi licence holders.

· One-off payments of $1,500 per affiliated taxi (up to a maximum of 1,000 taxis) to booking services predominantly dispatching taxis

· One-off incentive payments of an additional $1,000 per vehicle for Wheelchair Accessible Taxi (WAT) operators.

To access the $23 million funding, members will need to lodge an application through the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA). TCQ has been advised that the applications process will open in early August 2020.

The Queensland Government’s assistance package to the Queensland taxi industry is the biggest of any State in overall size and on a per taxi basis. It represents a fantastic result for TCQ members.

It was particularly gratifying that Transport and Main Roads Minister, Hon Mark Bailey, specifically and exclusively thanked our CEO Blair Davies and the TCQ for our efforts in helping to formulate and structure the package. The funding also builds on the previously announced $54.5 million Essential Transport Services Package released in April 2020. This package also resulted from the TCQ’s advocacy that was undertaken at the start of the lockdown period and included:

· Extending existing booked hire/taxi driver authorisations and taxi licences for six months.

· A further waiver of the annual Taxi Industry Security Levy in 2019/20.

· Extending all existing booking entity authorisations for six months.

· Waiving fees for operators to de-register and re-register their vehicles

These packages come on top of the announced $21 million Wheelchair Accessible Taxi (WAT) Grant Scheme, which is enabling WAT operators to receive a government grant of up to $45,000.00 to assist in the replacement of WAT vehicles. Yet again, this package resulted from the sustained and strategic advocacy efforts of the TCQ. This scheme is now in its third round of grants and it is hoped that WAT operators will take advantage of this scheme to modernise the Queensland WAT fleet.

Clearly, the advocacy of both the TCQ and the ATIA has successfully delivered substantial outcomes for all facets of the Queensland taxi industry, and more broadly the Australian taxi community. It is essential that the taxi industry remains strong and united, so that over time we can emerge from the difficulties we have had to confront over the past 6 years.

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