Page 4766 - Week 16 - Wednesday, 28 November 1990
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I think that is a little bit late. We all know that Christmas time is the danger time for people drinking and driving. I am sure the Minister will agree with me on that.
The purpose of Australian design rule No. 65 is to limit the road speeds of heavy vehicles by having devices compulsorily fitted to them. These vehicles will then be able to travel at a maximum speed of only 100 kilometres an hour. I think that is fast enough for any large vehicle on the roads, the roads being in the state they are. There is a clear need for speed limiters for heavy vehicles and buses in the ACT.
The number of fatal accidents involving semitrailers and coaches in Australia lately has been appalling. The adoption of this Bill is important as it is part of a national licensing scheme which seeks to limit the number of accidents and fatalities associated with speeding heavy vehicles. Over the years, I am sure, all members of the Assembly have been appalled to see the continuing reports in the media concerning road accidents. We ask how this could happen and we grieve for the families of those killed in these terrible accidents, sometimes through no fault of theirs. Mr Deputy Speaker, we now have the opportunity to correct this situation, that led to those countless fatalities. This Bill is one of those measures designed to correct this situation. We should all think deeply about the constructive nature of this Bill and the good it will do.
May I say, before I sit down, that we are very grateful to the Federal Government for bringing in many of these ideas which will unify traffic laws across the whole country and which we hope will lead to better driving and fewer accidents. Unfortunately they had to use a little bit of the "carrot before the donkey" act and give road funding. It is very sad that we could not bring more States into line right throughout Australia without doing this. I guess it is all going to help us because we are all going to get a little bit more money for our roads. At the moment the ACT is fortunate enough to have reasonably good roads, but this will not go on forever. Therefore, we appreciate the amount of money we are able to get by doing this at the same time as making it a safer country in which to drive. The Labor Opposition is very happy to support this Bill in its entirety.
MR STEFANIAK (4.39): I am pleased to support this Bill to amend the Motor Traffic Act 1936 to restrict the speed of certain heavy goods vehicles and omnibuses. It constitutes an important part of the commitment made by the Government to support the federally funded 10-point black spot road safety initiatives announced by the Prime Minister last year. That initiative, of course, is supported by all Australian States.
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