WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti blames Covid-19, Russian President Vladimir Putin for botched contactless payment upgrades
Commuters in Perth were told that by 2019 they would be able to use bank cards to tap on and off of busses in the city.
However, six years on, the system is well behind schedule and remains in the development phase.
The delay prompted shadow transport minister Steve Martin to submit a question on notice, leading to the extraordinary attempt to shift blame from the state government.
In response to Mr Martin's question a private secretary for Transport Minister Rita Saffioti claimed the delay was due to factors outside the government's control.
'The SmartRider Upgrade Project has been impacted by the global pandemic and the war in Ukraine, as well as software development issues,' the reply said.
Mr Martin described the excuses as extraordinary.
'Is there anyone in the Cook ministry that is willing to take responsibility for any single delay, problem or budget blowout? With this mob it's always someone else's fault,' he said.
'What's the next excuse? The Minister's handling of the transport portfolio has become a farce.'
A spokeswoman for WA's Public Transport Authority acknowledged the program had experienced 'some technical and resource challenges'. Those challenges included 'disrupted access' to a Ukraine-based software partner.
'This has been a complex task involving replacement of existing ticketing infrastructure while minimising impacts on Transperth operators and passengers,' the spokeswoman said.
'There has been significant testing of the new software and hardware to ensure that passengers receive the highest level of service.'
WA is not the only state to experience major issues with rolling out a contactless pay system for public transport.
An upgrade to the myWay platform is facing scrutiny in the Australian Capital Territory Assembly for a botched rollout which saw commuters unable to use cards, while the cost of upgrading New South Wales' Opal system has reportedly blown out to $738 million - up from $568 million.
The Opal upgrade will also have taken five years to complete by the time it comes online in 2027.
Similarly, in Victoria, an upgrade to the Myki card system has blown out to $680.3million.
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