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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 4 Hansard (30 March) . . Page.. 1117 ..
MR SMYTH (continuing):
The little boy was crying and screaming for his mother to help him as he was dragged down the street, according to witness statements recorded in a police report.
The boy was pronounced dead at the scene of the crime. It is ridiculous to say that the only one who suffers is the person himself or herself. That is being naive in the extreme. It is ridiculous that Mr Hargreaves should even put out these notions, because we all suffer in one way or another. He said that this provision should not be in the national road rules because it is a property thing. The reality is that the property thing has the rapid ability to become a speeding car. Recently, Mr Humphries authorised the police to have those devices that allow them to slow down speeding cars. A large number of the pursuits are of stolen cars and the police are only doing their job. Surely in this case prevention is better than cure.
We have put forward a proposal that has been accepted by the Australian Transport Council and, oddly enough, it will be agreed to by the States. It simply says that if a driver moves more than three metres away from the vehicle he or she must secure the vehicle by switching off the engine, which I would have thought would be fairly obvious; applying the parking brake, which one would hope most people would do; and removing the ignition key if there are no adult passengers still in the car, which one would hope would happen. But locking the vehicle is no longer a rule if there is anyone in the vehicle. That takes care of people's fears about having to take their children out of baby seats or whatever the circumstances. Mr Hargreaves takes all of that straight out of the law. You do not have to turn your vehicle off, you do not have to put your handbrake on and you do not have to secure your vehicle. It is typical of the lazy overreaction that we get so often in this place from the Labor Party.
Mr Speaker, the Australian Transport Council has given the ACT permission to move forward on this matter. I will bring that legislation forward as quickly as I can. The other States intend to follow our lead on it to clarify the law, which is a good step. We knew that there would be dilemmas, but what Mr Hargreaves does is just take it all out. He just gets rid of it. It is easy for him; just knock it all off. Mr Speaker, prevention is better than cure. Mr Berry raised the issue of somebody who drives a convertible with the top down. There are always exceptions. Nothing will stop a determined car thief.
The extended time allotted to Assembly business having expired -
MR BERRY (12.17): Mr Speaker, I move:
That so much of the standing and temporary orders be suspended as would prevent notices Nos 3 to 5, Assembly business, relating to the proposed amendments of Subordinate Laws 2000 Nos 10 and 11, having precedence over Executive business in the ordinary routine of business until any question relating to each of the notices has been resolved by the Assembly.
Mr Speaker, I need not speak further to that motion. It explains itself and I do not want to waste the time of the Assembly.
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