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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 14 Hansard (9 December) . . Page.. 4725 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

At about 20 minutes to five, on my way back to Canberra, my memory is that a car braked suddenly in front of me. I swerved onto the gravel. I lost control of the car. I think I hit a tree, but I have to say, in those circumstances, it is always very difficult to remember exactly what happened at that stage.

Mr Speaker, this occurred just on the New South Wales side of the border. Thankfully, Mr Speaker, I was not injured - nor was anybody else - although I think that those opposite are very sad that I was not. That certainly appears to be the case, Mr Speaker, from recent comments. There was nobody else in the car and no other vehicles were involved. An acquaintance saw the accident and stopped to give me assistance. About 10 minutes later an ACT ambulance arrived. I told the ambulance officers that I was not injured; in fact, I was not injured even slightly. They asked whether they could check for injuries, which they did. Given that I was on the way back to the office, I asked them whether they needed me to stay. They indicated that, as far as they were concerned, it was fine for me to go; so I told them I would be heading back to the office, and if the police arrived, because there were certainly no police there at that stage, the police could contact me there.

I was under the impression then, and I have to say I still am, that, when you are involved in a single-vehicle accident where there are no injuries, self-reporting rules apply, and I was fine to return to my office and notify the police from there. Indeed, advice provided to me today indicates that there is no legislative requirement in New South Wales for a driver involved in a single-vehicle accident, where there are no injuries to any person, to remain at the scene. I am happy to table the Attorney-General's advice, for the interest of members.

Mr Speaker, in all, about 20 minutes passed from the time of the accident to the time when I left the scene. When I got back to the office I rang the Queanbeyan police and reported the accident. I also offered to drive to the Queanbeyan Police Station if necessary to be interviewed. They did not indicate any great urgency to interview me. A police officer arrived at my office about an hour later and took down details of the accident. At no time did the police indicate to me any concern about me leaving the scene of the accident, or about whether I was under the influence of alcohol, as those opposite seem to want to believe. I have no doubt, Mr Speaker, on the basis of having monitored my alcohol consumption - those opposite seem to bring that up - that when I got behind the steering wheel of my car to drive home I was well below the prescribed alcohol limit.

Mr Speaker, I can fully appreciate that the Opposition today, in their desperation to take the pressure off their leader and his involvement in the disastrous VITAB scandal, will go to any lengths to try to smear my name on this matter. I fully appreciate that their questions will be framed to contain allegations in the hope of trying to attract some media attention. I think we hit a pretty great low in this Assembly if, at 2.10 pm, before question time, we can have a Leader of the Opposition present to my office 22 questions which the police would be proud of in a court case. This means that this group opposite will go to any lengths to score grubby political points, even to the extent of using a car accident.

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