The Taxi Operators Legal Defence (TOLD) group was formed 4 years ago to fight for fair compensation for taxi plate owners. We have always believed that our demands are reasonable and that the fight is winnable.
We have never wavered from this belief!
The stress and anxiety caused by the WA Government’s seeming indifference to our plight has taken a toll on all of us, but we have come a long way since Colin Barnett’s infamous live radio comment that taxi plate owners “deserve nothing”.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the TOLD executive committee, your $1,000 individual investment in the TOLD fighting fund has resulted in a minimum compensation payout of $120,000 for all eligible plate owners.
But the fight is not yet over!
While this payment goes some way towards alleviating our immediate financial stress, it still DOES NOT adequately compensate us for the significant loss of income and asset value resulting from the sneaky “backdoor deregulation” of the WA taxi industry.
In addition to the National Class Action against Uber, taxi licence owners in Queensland and Victoria have launched a billion dollar claim against the Qld and Vic Government for legalising ride-sharing services. The basis of their claim is that taxi owners had a property right, the right to operate a taxi. Government action destroyed the value of that property right and the Crown is liable.
In the light of these new developments, the TOLD executive has resolved to pursue further legal action to force the WA Government to lift the final payout figure to $295,000 per taxi plate
IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WE WILL BE APPOINTING LAWYERS TO REPRESENT US IN THE NEXT LEGAL CHALLENGE AND THEY WILL BE INVITED TO ATTEND THE TOLD GLOBAL MEETING SCHEDULED FOR EARLY SEPTEMBER.
More details in the TOLD August Newsletter.
Peter Martin, Satinder Samra, Alan Svilicic, Peter Rosengrave
TOLD Directors
