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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (2 September) . . Page.. 2732 ..

MR BERRY: I ask a supplementary question. Mrs Carnell, do you think the business incentive scheme is more important than the ACT Occupational Health and Safety Act?

MRS CARNELL: I think the thing that is most important in the ACT is jobs.

MR HIRD: My question is to the Minister for Urban Services, Mr Kaine. At the beginning of last year this Government made a number of changes to motor vehicle inspection arrangements within the Territory which I understand were implemented after the acceptance of a report which had been commissioned by the former Follett Labor Government. In short, these new arrangements have ended periodic inspections of light vehicles, increased random on-the-road inspections in conjunction with the Australian Federal Police, commenced random vehicle inspections in car parks and introduced inspections on transfer of registration of vehicles over six years old. Minister, what would be the cost to our community if the Government reintroduced an annual vehicle inspection system?

MR KAINE: First, let me say that the situation of the present system as outlined by Mr Hird in his question is substantially correct. It is true that we changed the system after consideration of a report that had been commissioned by the former Labor Government. I suppose they will say, "We did not really mean to do anything about it". But they did pay to have a study undertaken, and I assume that they did that with some purpose in mind.

The question of reintroducing the full annual inspection system that we had in place is not in the minds of the Government. The reason for that is that the condition of vehicles is not a major factor in road accident statistics. In fact, while on the evidence road safety outcomes are influenced by many factors, they are most influenced by the driver of the vehicle. It is a fact that 95 per cent of vehicle crashes are caused by drivers through inattention, incompetence, excessive speed and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Compulsory periodic vehicle inspections, whether carried out annually or after some greater period, simply cannot overcome this driver error. Only about 3 per cent of fatal vehicle crashes are identified as having been caused by the condition of the vehicle, and about half of these result from tyre defects such as lack of tread, underinflation or previous damage.

I turn specifically to the substance of Mr Hird's question. The State of Victoria has not required annual vehicle inspections for many years; yet that State continues to achieve a better road safety record than New South Wales, where annual vehicle inspections are still required. In October last year the RACV - the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria - estimated that introduction of annual vehicle inspections in that State would cost the community about $260m, with a possible saving through reduced road trauma of perhaps $60m to $90m a year. Applying those estimates to the ACT community, I have calculated that reintroducing annual vehicle inspections would cost somewhat in excess of $14m a year. As I say, it is something that the Government has not contemplated.

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