Page 3808 - Week 13 - Thursday, 18 October 1990
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164D(3)(b) removed over a period of time. It means that there are people, including children, who are not protected as they travel about the Territory, for so long as those exemptions remain in place. In time we should think about removing them.
It is also, I think, incumbent on us, in due course, to think about the question of seat belts in buses. There is a question of accidents occurring in that form of travel. We must think about whether or not it is practical to supply seat belts in buses for people who might care to use them and, ultimately, for all people who travel in buses.
I also wonder a little bit about the exemption for Commonwealth vehicles, particularly C-cars. I suppose there are reasons, but I cannot understand why, for example, the Federal member for Canberra - - -
Mr Connolly: It is your Bill. You were in Cabinet when this was decided. It is a bit late for a Minister to be wondering why the Government did something.
MR HUMPHRIES: The arguments are very compelling and Mr Duby's powerful logic, I am sure, convinced me on that occasion. Nonetheless, we might, in the course of time, think about amending the legislation if we can establish good reasons why these provisions ought to apply to everybody, not just people in certain classes or categories.
As I said, I think the legislation is deserving of support. It is not an unwarranted intrusion into people's capacity to make decisions about what they do in their own cars because we recognise that decisions such as that have enormous impact on the rest of us, particularly those of us who are taxpayers who help pay the medical costs of people involved in motor traffic accidents.
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (12.02), in reply: I am very pleased with the generous support given by the Assembly to this Bill to amend the Motor Traffic Act of 1936 to make it compulsory for children under one year of age to be securely fastened into a baby capsule or other suitable restraint when they are travelling in a motor vehicle.
It is vital, of course, that all passengers are secured in seat belts or restraints when travelling. It is particularly important that our youngest citizens, who are most vulnerable in this regard, have that security through this Bill, which places responsibility on the driver of the vehicle to ensure that they are securely fastened in a restraint.
In his address Mr Humphries raised some matters of interest. I was particularly impressed with his suggestion that the Government may well look at the enforcement of seat belt and other similar restraints being provided in
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