GREENS MHA Tim Morris has welcomed a decision by the State Government to investigate the option of the state-owned Motor Accident Insurance Board (MAIB) taking on public liability insurance for tourism rail operations like the Derwent Valley Railway. Mr Morris said some of the $100,000 allocated to rail tourism in the State Budget must be used to investigate both public liability insurance and main line access, to help boost the industry.
"Tasmania’s tourism rail operators have been hit hard by the unaffordable cost of existing public liability insurance, and the Greens have suggested that the Minister investigate the option of MAIB taking on this insurance requirement by treating passenger trains in the same manner that buses are treated," Mr Morris said. "I am delighted that Minister O’Byrne has undertaken to explore the MAIB option. Such a system would see a train carriage treated in the same manner as a bus."
"Currently Lloyds of London is the only insurer at present, and that organisation does not understand, or show much interest in, the particular Tasmanian situation or impact on our tourism rail operations," Mr Morris said. "The Greens understand that the MAIB option should be relatively simple to expand to cover passenger rail, which would be a green light for organisations including the Don River Rail, and the Derwent Valley Rail Society."
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