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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (28 June) . . Page.. 2139 ..

MR SMYTH

Mr Speaker, that clearly demonstrates that the cameras have been and are changing driver behaviour for the better by reducing speeding, one of the three big killers on our roads. But Mr Hargreaves has chosen not to believe the independent research by ARRB, the experts. Instead, he flies in the face of this data and proclaims that the figures show that the use of cameras, to quote Mr Hargreaves, "has not been successful as a road safety program and is only a good little revenue earner". That is simply incorrect and ludicrous, as is so much of what we hear from Mr Hargreaves, as the figures clearly show that motorists are slowing down and, given that speed kills, are therefore making our roads safer.

Mr Speaker, it astounds me that Mr Hargreaves so boldly advocates that the evidence and the experts' analysis are wrong and that only he is right. On what basis? He has shown no evidence, as we see so often. Mr Speaker, if I did that, Mr Hargreaves and this Assembly would be up in arms, and rightly so. What he has done is irresponsible and misrepresents the truth.

Furthermore, Mr Speaker, these results reflect what has happened in all other jurisdictions. They have also shown that speed cameras are a well proven safety measure, that they do change driver behaviour and that they do reduce speeds. I hope that Canberra, like other jurisdictions, will show a reduction in the number of traffic accidents and the amount of road trauma over time. This is the road safety outcome we wanted. The argument of Mr Hargreaves that it is not a road safety outcome is simply gibberish.

According to Mr Hargreaves' press release of 9 June, he is not only having trouble grappling with why speed cameras are effective at improving road safety but also having trouble grappling with the logic. He said:

I have already shown that the speed is going down due to the introduction of the cameras-not only where the speed cameras operate, but also in other areas of Canberra where they do not. The number of people being caught speeding has gone up, as we predicted, since their introduction. Again, we are mirroring what has happened elsewhere in Australia, that is, people slow down as soon as the cameras are introduced and then they get complacent and used to the cameras and their speed creeps up again. Long-term habits do not change overnight, Mr Speaker.

But Mr Hargreaves, perhaps not surprisingly given some of his other comments, has just missed the point, and it is an important one, and that is that their speeds are still way below the levels prior to the introduction of speed cameras, again reinforcing their effectiveness as a road safety tool. So, another illogical comment from Mr Hargreaves illustrates his lack of understanding on this issue.

Fortunately, others in the community have understood. I will finish by quoting parts of a recent Canberra Times editorial, albeit with some risk of an outburst from the Leader of the Opposition-he is not here; perhaps we are safe-who described those who

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