Page 2867 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Over the last period, the government has also continued to work to extend safer speeds on our roads, particularly in built up areas of the city—something, again, that is vehemently opposed by the Canberra Liberals, particularly in the CBD area. The government has been diligent in responding to road safety issues when they are presented on ACT roads. As members would be aware—I have provided a ministerial statement on this in this space before—we are responding to the coronial enquiry that resulted from the death of Blake Corney, which was caused by a heavy vehicle. Since February this year, we have made changes to ensure that applicants for medium rigid, heavy rigid, heavy combination and multi-combination licences classes need to complete a commercial medical assessment before they can get a licence in the ACT.
The government has also taken steps to require a person applying for an upgrade to a heavy vehicle licence to make a self-declaration of medical fitness, including in relation to sleep disorders. Further to those measures, specific questions on sleep disorders have been included in the commercial health assessment form provided by Access Canberra for heavy vehicle and public vehicle drivers, as well as the driver licence medical form for light vehicle drivers, to prompt and draw the attention of health professionals to this key issue when making assessments. Further nation-leading measures will be undertaken further in the term to improve safety on our roads related to heavy vehicles. Those measures stem from the very considered recommendations that have been made by the coroner. And that is also leading and informing some national investigation into this issue that we have been advocating on.
Also, we will listen and be informed by issues raised by families who have been impacted by road trauma. Transport Canberra and City Services has met with the families, as have I, and we have commenced a planned review into the road transport penalties framework, which is a commitment under the ACT’s road safety action plan 2020 to 2023. This work is progressing to ensure that our road transport penalties are proportionate both to the risk caused by the offence and other offences. This work is progressing over the next year. It will progress on the basis of evidence and thorough research. It is a significant task. It is a very large body of offences and penalties that we need to consider, and we will be looking at what other jurisdictions are doing, and we will bring forward various tranches of legislation to implement real and effective changes that improve safety on ACT roads.
Priority areas that are being examined include excessive speeding, which is often a contributing cause to vehicle accidents, crashes and deaths on our road network. We will consider aggravated speeding offences, including for drivers who are going over the speed limit by 45 kilometres an hour or more; hooning, including racing offences, will be considered; furious, dangerous and reckless driving offences; and the range of application of penalties available, including seizure and forfeiture penalties, including options to sell or crush vehicles as a deterrent for using vehicles in the commission of a crime. Circumstances that may aggravate dangerous driving behaviours will also be considered, including the influence of drug or alcohol and how these are treated under our road transport framework. Culpable driving will also be considered, which is an offence under the Crimes Act 1900.
The purpose of these investigations is to find effective solutions that will help to deter and prevent injury and death on the roadways, and as part of a strategic and planned
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video