Mr Prebble faces critics

Press, 30 August 1986, Page 3

Mr Prebble faces critics

The Minister of Transport, Mr Prebble, came under criticism for his “crawling capitalism” in railway and air transport. But at least he managed to get the most critical resolution defeated: “that the Railways Corporation be dissolved and Railways returned to a department of State with full Ministerial responsibility.” Mr Prebble said Railways needed an investment of $4OO million to survive and foreshadowed announcements next week on how the corporation would develop the inner city properties it owned to raise money.

Delegates applauded the sentiments of the secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen, Mr Don Goodfellow, when he said that although the -Government had “Saved Rail” as it had promised it had not saved many of the Railways workers. “There were a lot of faults in the old structure but the wide-open corporate theory being foisted on us is not the way to go,” he said. “Mr Prebble is walking down the corporate road to capitalism.”

One remit passed was that privatisation or assetstripping of the Railways and any other Government Department be opposed. Mr Prebble said he supported the remit but many delegates appeared not to believe him. Mrs Julie Waters (Fendalton) got the support of the conference for her

amendment to this remit which added the words — “including joint-venture operations such as airport authorities.”

Many delegates felt that corporatising airport authorities would turn them from profitable into unprofitable organisations.