The Minns Labor Government has been forced into an embarrassing backflip on its drastic fare hike to the highly popular TrainLink Discovery Pass, following sustained pressure from the NSW Opposition.
Under Labor, the annual Discovery Pass cost surged by almost 400 per cent – from $840 to $3,300 – at a time when families across regional NSW are grappling with a worsening cost-of-living crisis.
Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman said the move showed just how out of touch Labor was with the realities facing people in regional communities.
“This was a deeply unfair decision that punished regional commuters, students, seniors and families who rely on affordable rail travel,” Mrs Tuckerman said.
“The former Coalition Government introduced the Discovery Pass to ensure people could travel across NSW affordably. If that was to visit family, attend medical appointments, or simply to explore their state. It was about equity, access and opportunity.”
“Labor’s decision to gut the scheme showed a complete disregard for regional needs — and only after relentless advocacy in Parliament and in the community have they been forced to reverse course and reinstate the three- and six-month options.”
Mrs Tuckerman also called out the Minns Government for its continued lack of transparency and consultation with regional commuters, and said this is a great win for the community.
“The Government may have paused the damage for now, but serious questions remain,” she said. “Labor still hasn’t explained why they quietly removed the longer-term passes in the first place, or why commuters weren’t consulted. People deserve answers.”
“In regional NSW, public transport is not a luxury — it’s a necessity. We’ll keep holding this Government to account every time they try to take that support away.”
WENDY TUCKERMAN 