Page 2805 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 11 October 2022
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Tom McLuckie said in response to the Attorney-General’s committee that only an independent review of our judiciary can address the community concerns. The AFPA has said in response:
The AFPA is again calling on the ACT Attorney-General to implement an independent review of bail and sentencing in the ACT.
Maintaining confidence in our justice system, making sure our community is safe, and our police are supported, is what we need. It is clear the Attorney-General is not prepared to do that. Madam Speaker, sadly his refusal to conduct that review means that there will be no change. It means that more innocents will die—more lives will be destroyed. Madam Speaker, I move a loss of confidence in the Attorney-General.
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong—Attorney-General, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Gaming and Minister for Water, Energy and Emissions Reduction) (10.27): Every single death on our roads is a tragedy. None of them are acceptable, and my heart goes out to every family who has lost someone on our roads.
It is worth starting this discussion by reflecting on the things that I believe members in this place do agree on. Firstly, that dangerous driving and violent behaviour are unacceptable, and that safety on the roads is the responsibility of every person behind the wheel. I imagine we agree that governments should take a range of measures to improve road safety, and that reducing offending needs to be a priority for the government. Each of these are ideas that I would imagine all members in this place support and that our community does too. These are also matters which have been priorities of mine within government for some time.
Previously, I have held a portfolio as Minister for Road Safety. This was an issue for which I have a genuine commitment and interest. I have spent time engaging, researching and discussing with experts, and seeking to understand how we can continuously improve road safety in the territory, as well as in Australia more broadly.
During my time as minister, I significantly strengthened the graduated licensing scheme for learner drivers in the territory, recognising that young drivers are at the most risk of being involved in deadly collisions. These changes were designed to give new drivers the best training to navigate their way through this most risky period. This was one of a range of measures. Some of the other reforms included: revamping the ACT’s speed camera regime, strengthening protections and offences against distracted driving, programs to improve motorcycle safety, interventions to reduce tailgating and millions of dollars committed to dozens of community projects to improve road safety.
Members who have been here for a while will recall that some of these key measures were opposed by the Canberra Liberals. I remember constant questioning and criticism about the speed camera regime, for example, and the Liberal Party actively campaigned against graduated licensing reforms. According to those arguments, I was pushing too hard on the side of road safety.
The package ultimately was adopted, and good improvements were made to the learner driver program, but the reality is that there were even stronger measures, measures recommended by experts that were designed to improve the safety of
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