A select committee of the Legislative Council has been established to inquire into and report upon the department of education's open procurement process for school bus contracts, with particular reference to—

(a)the impact on regional communities through the subsequent deterioration of family business operators if contracts are lost;

(b)the ability of South Australian small operators to be sustained by private contract work and the subsequent impact on South Australia's future market competitiveness;

(c)the inclination of new contractors to support small communities in the same way as previous family bus company contractors;

(d)the sustainability of benchmarks used to determine tender applications;

(e)government subsidies and the concession reimbursement scheme provided to some operators;

(f)the failure to provide certainty for school bus operators whose contracts are yet to expire; and

(g)any other relevant matter.