New South Wales Public Transport Commission - Management

Management

The Public Transport Commission consisted of five commissioners appointed by the Governor of New South Wales, two of whom were nominated by the Minister for Transport. Two of the Commissioners were full time one of these was appointed by the Governor as Chief Commissioner. The Commission acquired the assets and liabilities of the former commissioners, were bound by current agreements or contracts, and were responsible for the completion of business commenced by them. The Commission inherited the functions of the previous Commissioners as prescribed in the Railways Act 1912 (NSW) and the Transport Act 1930 (NSW).

The first Chief Commissioner of the Commission was Phillip Shirley, a former chairman of Cunard Line, who came out of retirement to take up the position. Shirley had been involved with the Beeching cuts in his native United Kingdom in the 1960s. His ruthless cost-cutting approach led to heated criticism from the public, trade unions and the parliamentary opposition, to the point where Shirley retired in 1975, two years before his commission was due to conclude. His successor, until the Commission was disbanded in 1980, was Alan Reiher. Reiher recognised that the Commission faced many problems that defied short-term solutions, the most chronic being the lack of modern passenger rolling stock. Upon the dissolution of the Public Transport Commission, Reiher became chairman of VicRail.