Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland) (19:31): Mr Temporary Speaker, I congratulate you on your appointment. I speak tonight for people in our regional communities who have been let down this week by the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads. I call on him to make an apology to the thousands of commuters who were stuck in transit on our regional road networks because of the transport chaos that ensued this week. I make this contribution in private members' statements not only because of the impact that chaos had on people in my electorate of Maitland but also as the shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads.

I sought leave today to contribute to the public interest debate in this House that was moved by the member for Summer Hill, but it was denied by the member for Wollondilly. That is a great shame because I know that people in the Wollondilly electorate were also significantly impacted by the transport chaos this week. He obviously did not want to hear about it, but I have to give the member for Wollondilly a little bit of credit because he turned up for the debate. However, not one MP from The Nationals did—not one. I note the non-verbal interjection of the member for Coffs Harbour. He was sitting in the Chamber, but not on the Government benches. He was sitting in the Chamber attendant's seat while waiting to take his turn at House duty. That is the lack of commitment that The Nationals showed to regional transport in our State.

I can understand why The Nationals are feeling a little bit sensitive about this subject. Today their newly minted Minister made a very embarrassing admission to the New South Wales Parliament in the other place. He said that he heard about the Government's train lockout, which shut down public transport not only in Sydney but also around regional New South Wales, "on Monday morning when I watched the 6.00 a.m. news." I will give the Minister a hot tip—if he had gone on Twitter, he would have seen the tweet by his agency, TrainLink, advising of the lockout at 3.45 a.m. But maybe he was asleep. That is what the Minister for Transport has been saying. Earlier today when the Minister for Regional Transport and Roads was asked by members in the other place about what action he had taken to address the impact of the shutdown on regional communities and commuters, he could not describe one specific action he had taken, despite saying, "I am responsible for the intercity services." That is great—tick. He knows what he is responsible for, but he did nothing for three days.

In fact, he even boasted about the intercity services to his home electorate of Bathurst, which go to Lithgow. So why did he not organise rail replacement buses for people in Lithgow and other cities that are serviced by the intercity fleet? That was his responsibility. People were contacting me, outraged because it was taking 25 minutes to drive from Thornton, in Maitland, to Newcastle. People had to drive their cars for five hours on the M1 to Sydney to attend essential medical services because they could not take the train. The Minister's admission today has raised serious questions about who is really running regional transport and it has highlighted the complete lack of concern that this Government has for the impact its decisions have on people in the regions. It is unacceptable that the Minister for Transport, who is from Sydney, can bring transport in the regions to a standstill without any intervention or, indeed, interest from the regional transport Minister. Obviously, if the transport Minister is asleep at the wheel—as he repeatedly claims to have been in his half-hearted attempt to cover up this outrageous lockout—Minister Far Away is snoozing way down the back of the carriage, and someone forgot to wake him to tell him the trains had not left the stations. Sorry, I should refer to him as Minister Farraway, but he is far away when it comes to transport and the issues that he needs to look after in his own portfolio.

The Nationals say they stand up for regional New South Wales, but the Liberals continue to make snap decisions that impact on our regional communities without even telling them. It is time The Nationals stood up for regional commuters and stopped letting the Liberals play politics with regional transport. What even is the point of having a regional transport Minister if he was not at the table when such a decision was made or, as it appears from today, when he was not even briefed that a major shutdown of the network—with no contingencies for people who are already in transport poverty to get to work, schools or essential medical appointments—was going to occur? That is not acceptable.

I note that the member for Coffs Harbour has sought to respond. He will probably get to his feet and do what members did in the other place, which is talk all about the fantastic regional seniors travel card. I ask him in advance what the point of a regional seniors travel card is if there is no bus or train to use it on. We know that fuel prices are going up. There has been no adjustment for that cost. Labor argued for veterans and seniors with disabilities to be paid for that. Once again, with the Government asleep at the wheel and asleep at the back of the carriage, this train is going nowhere.

Mr GURMESH SINGH (Coffs Harbour) (19:36): I will correct the record. First, the member for Maitland said there were no Nationals members in the Chamber. That is certainly untrue. The second correction is about the XPTs. The XPTs in regional New South Wales were running, albeit with slight delays. So the train system in regional New South Wales was running. The member brought up the regional seniors travel card, and I  bring it up also because the Labor Party or the Country Labor Party—whatever it is called—absolutely opposed the card. I believe the party still opposes it. After listening to feedback from various communities, including our own—and, yes, including from some Labor Party members as well—changes were made to that program to increase the availability of the card. It is a wonderful program, backed in by The Nationals and brought in by The Nationals in government in New South Wales.