The Chamber congratulates
all those who helped secure the recent Budget announcement that the Parramatta
RiverCat will be retained at least for the next two years. Leading the charge
was Chamber Immediate Past President Mr Roman Dechnicz,
State MP for Parramatta Ms Tanya Gadiel, the Councillors and staff of
Parramatta City Council, the Parramatta Advertiser, and a host of others.
This win does come with a
short window of opportunity to secure the long-term future of the ferry service.
The announcement detailed $8 million invested over two years to retain the service.
Since its inception in
1992, the Rivercat's status as a commuter vessel or a tourist vessel has been
clouded and variable. The Rivercat requires to be integrated into Parramatta's
transport and tourism strategic plans. The Budget announcement opens the door
for this by expanding the daily timetable and services.
The
NSW Government is responsible for the RiverCat's success as a commuter service.
Much of the increasing numbers of commuters working in Parramatta are employed
by or because of the NSW Government. Therefore the Chamber believes that the
government should encourage and reward its employees to use the Rivercat.
The
Chamber also believes the NSW Government should promote the Rivercat's benefits
as a commuter service. A need does exist for such a service exists and market awareness is now needed.
For the Rivercat to really
succeed as a tourism service, it must be part of fully integrated tourism plan
for Parramatta.
The responsibility for
developing a fully-integrated tourism plan for Parramatta lies with Council and
with the various businesses in the industry, with the assistance of Government agencies
such as Sydney Ferries and Tourism NSW.
We have our ferry and two
years to make it work. Sitting back on our hands won't do the job. The support
of businesses and potential commuters is needed to attract and maintain the Rivercat's
identified key markets.
