Today's Big Bus Strike - What have the politicians said?

Today, Thursday July 10, is the bus strike that TWU Vic/Tas is claiming will be Australia's biggest.

Unlike previous strikes, it involves not just CDC but also Kinetic. That is two of Melbourne's biggest three bus operators. Ventura being the third big operator but its drivers are not striking. 

Something near half of Melbourne's bus routes will either not run or be on a (typically) much reduced Saturday or Sunday timetable with longer waits and shorter operating hours. There will also be substantial bus disruptions in Geelong and Ballarat. Although, partially mitigating its effects, it is school holidays so bus ridership will be less than during school days. 

Striking drivers will march from Trades Hall to State Parliament. Though it not being a sitting day I'm not sure how many politicians will see or hear them. 

What do we normally hear from politicians when there's a big transport strike? 

It depends on who they are and how big the strike is. 

The minister and government

In the strike has just started or is small the minister will want to stay out. The minister will typically say that it is a matter between the transport operator and the workers and express hopes for a quick resolution. 

This will continue for a while. The department's only involvement is likely to be in advising which services are and are not running, such as has been published on the PTV website. 

If there is sufficient community and media pressure, and strikes prolong (rather than just being a day here and there) then calls might grow for the government to step in. Initially that might just be some harsher exhortations to reach an agreement. Both CDC and Kinetic have sought the assistance of the Fair Work Commission in reaching an agreement.

If that fails there may be calls for even more activity from the government. For example having its own go at trying to broker an agreement. In extreme cases, if the government is really desperate, it's not inconceivable that they they tip in public money so the operators can meet union demands. 

Strikes that are really high profile may involve intervention from not just the minister but also the premier. Today's bus strike will cause significant inconvenience but, especially in Melbourne, it's less important to demographics seen as politically important than (say) pilots or even train or tram strikes. 

The shadow minister

An enterprising opposition wishing to win the 2026 state election might be seeking to frame the strike as a failure on the government's part to ensure reliable service delivery. They might go through the motions of requesting intervention from the government to make the latter look ineffectual. Even though if the strike occurred when they were in office their initial reaction - of leaving it to the parties to sort out - would likely be similar. 

Non-government MPs might post pictures of queues of stranded passengers and crush-loaded buses on their social media to further their desired message. This could be aided by them listening to passengers  and talking to media media, filling a gap given the likely absence of comment from the government side. Or, even just reposted FYI information from PTV advising commuting constituents about the strike. The sort of thing an engaged local member might do as a service, with no political point scoring involved. 

Features of an effective opposition include an ability to hold the government to account, an appetite for hard work and a will to win. This involves all shadow ministers pulling their weight in their portfolios, especially ones with as much opportunity as transport to contest the government's record. 

A particular opportunity exists for shadow Transport Minister Matthew Guy. His seat of Bulleen is possibly the only metropolitan seat entirely dependent on buses for its public transport. Not only that but all buses are operated by Kinetic, one of the operators whose drivers are striking today. He needn't even leave his seat to be at the centre of today's strike disruptions. Strikes are also easier for a Liberal opposition to oppose than a Labor opposition due to the latter's union affiliations. 

As at 3pm today the shadow minister had not posted on his Facebook page about the strike. 

What about the old-fashioned media release handy to get your head on the TV news? Nothing on the party website there. The last, dated 21st May, was just the second release for 2025 in the public transport portfolio. The year so far has seen a slow-down on 2024, which saw twelve releases from the Liberals on public transport, and especially 2023 with twenty releases (though to be fair there were more in the transport infrastructure and major projects portfolios - see graph below). Also it may be that this opposition prefers parliament to press (as evidenced by the large number of questions asked) when airing issues.  

 

Other members of parliament

I looked at Facebook pages for many (though not all) MPs. Especially representing heavily affected seats. As might be expected there was little coverage from government MPs (at least some of whom might be factionally sympathetic to the TWU). 

There was also quietness from non-government MPs' pages I checked. 

If you've come across an MP who has said anything about today's bus strike, please let me know in the comments below. The same goes if you see them on TV or in the papers, possibly arising from a release sent to a limited audience. 

Conclusion

The political reaction to today's big bus strike has so far been very quiet. Partly as buses are a much lower profile transport mode in Melbourne than in other cities. Had it been on a school day it might have got more attention. 

Reticence is possibly understandable from the government side whose members would just point people to the PTV website for service information. 

But silence is less understandable from the opposition. Especially when it's a significant public-facing service like transport.

On some days the current minister and government must feel thankful to have the loyal opposition they currently do.