Page 2438 - Week 11 - Thursday, 2 November 1989
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Ms Follett: Mr Speaker, I require the question to be put forthwith without debate.
Question resolved in the negative.
MOTOR TRAFFIC (AMENDMENT) BILL (NO. 4) 1989
Debate resumed.
MRS NOLAN: Mr Speaker, before I was interrupted I was talking about public relations in this whole matter before us. Firstly, I should say that I do not believe Mr Duby should be making comparisons between the numbers of parking fines paid now and the numbers likely to be paid under this new legislation. I think it can be well said that in New South Wales there has been a marked improvement with the new legislation, on which this current legislation is really well based. It is totally unacceptable to say that, because a percentage of fines are not now paid, the reminder notice situation - whether it be after 14 days, 21 days or what have you - is still going to go on further down the track.
In terms of public relations, currently in Canberra the whole area of parking is actually looked at rather badly. The community out there really does not like parking inspectors. The parking inspectors probably have one of the worst jobs in the world. Everyone hates them. Everybody looks at them and sort of says - - -
Mr Kaine: I do not. I think they are nice people.
MRS NOLAN: Well, the majority of the community out there says, "Gosh, they're the people that we don't like; they've just booked me for five minutes overstay at a meter", et cetera. You often find that, if the public relations aspect is right and the whole situation is approached with a little care, the end result is that more people will pay those fines, and pay them immediately they receive the notification on their windscreen.
So I think, really, the exercise needs to be looked at in a little more detail. To say, as Mrs Grassby has done, "Fourteen days after you receive your notice you are going to have to wear an administrative cost of $20", is ridiculous. I do not think that the Administration would even be placed to be able to make that turnaround in that period of time. I am quite sure that it takes several days. That is only two periods of five working days, and so I think it would be quite difficult to make that turnaround in 14 days. I do not consider that it was well thought through. Mr Duby is proposing 21 days. I would consider that 28 days would be a much more appropriate way to go. In this particular area, this is very important.
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