03/11/2016
Peter Khalil, Federal Member for Wills, and David Feeney, Federal Member for Batman, will be speaking at a rally in support of fair payment to taxi license holders, following the announcement that the Victorian Government intend to legislate to allow ride sharing services to operate legally in the state.
The rally will be held at 1:00pm on Saturday December 3 on the steps of Parliament House, Spring Street, Melbourne. Both Mr Khalil and Mr Feeney will be speaking at approximately 1:30pm.
After being visited by scores of constituents who are facing significant financial hardship as a result of the proposed reforms, Mr Khalil and Mr Feeney came to appreciate the acute concerns of some 3,000 families who individually own or operate taxis or hire cars in this state.
The comprehensive changes to the taxi and hire car industry announced in August 2016 by the Victorian Government will jeopardise the futures of these families, having invested in taxi licenses as an asset that was promoted as giving exposure to a Government regulated industry with stable returns.
While Mr Khalil and Mr Feeney fully recognise the desire of many consumers to use ridesharing services, and unequivocally embrace the benefits of new technology more broadly, they believe that there is work to do in securing a fair and equitable transition for the families who are financially impacted by these reforms.
Several members of the taxi family community are available to speak to media outlets in advance of the rally to describe their particular circumstances and tell their stories.
A short promotional video for the rally is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8fUk8Z4gBA