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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (4 September) . . Page.. 3040 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

accidents are understated. I believe that a system of regular inspections does produce better results. That is the experience of the studies that have been done. Mr Kaine put his finger on it in his concluding remarks at the in-principle stage. This is really about money. The Government's policy in relation to this has always been about money. The Labor Party believes that more attention ought to be given to public safety.

MR KAINE (Minister for Urban Services) (11.05): As foreshadowed in the in-principle debate, the Government opposes these amendments because their effect is to return to annual inspections. In fact, Mr Whitecross's amendment No. 1 introduces the factor that I mentioned that would lead to the result where not only would we be inspecting the fleet every year but we would be inspecting a greater number of vehicles than the fleet. That amendment No. 1 alone would add 10,000 to 15,000 compulsory inspections each year. These are the three amendments that, in effect, would take us back into the Dark Ages. This new, enlightened Labor Party would take us back to that, and these are the amendments that would do it. These are the amendments that would cause a capital outlay of $14m and the necessity to hire up to 36 new inspectors. Mr Whitecross says that it is a matter of money. It sure is. For 3 per cent of fatal traffic accidents, it is not warranted. The system without all of this is effective and, as I have said before, it satisfies this community.

MR WHITECROSS (11.07): There was one important factor I did not mention in my earlier remarks, Mr Speaker, which was to draw the Minister's attention to the fact that, under the commencement provisions of this Bill, he does not have to commence particular provisions straightaway. I would certainly hope that, if these amendments were passed, the Minister did not commence clause 7 straightaway. If the Minister is serious about avoiding queues, he will need to provide time for private testers to come into operation and for Phillip testing station to come into operation, to ensure that those queues which the Minister is so anxious to avoid are, in fact, avoided.

Question put:

That the amendments (Mr Whitecross's) be agreed to.

The Assembly voted -

	AYES, 8		 NOES, 9

	Mr Berry	Mrs Carnell
	Mr Corbell	Mr Cornwell
	Ms Horodny	Mr Hird
	Ms McRae	Mr Humphries
	Ms Reilly	Mr Kaine
	Ms Tucker	Mrs Littlewood
	Mr Whitecross	Mr Moore
	Mr Wood		Mr Osborne
			Mr Stefaniak

Clause agreed to.

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