Page 5729 - Week 13 - Thursday, 18 November 2010

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MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (5.04): The Greens will be supporting this amendment, as we will the next amendment to be moved by Mr Hanson.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 127, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 128.

MR HANSON (Molonglo) (5.05): I move amendment No 7 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 5758].

This is a further consequential amendment that defines what a drug awareness course is and drug-related disqualifying offences are in the Road Transport (Driver Licence) Regulation 2000.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 128, as amended, agreed to.

Clause 129.

MR STANHOPE (Ginninderra—Chief Minister, Minister for Transport, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Business and Economic Development, Minister for Land and Property Services, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and Minister for the Arts and Heritage) (5.05): I move amendment No 2 circulated in my name [see schedule 1 at page 5751].

This is the first of a series of related amendments to ensure that the immediate licence suspension notice provisions can be enforced against interstate drivers. When TAMS was working with the police to develop implementation arrangements for the immediate licence suspension scheme, it became clear the application of these provisions to interstate drivers was going to be a more significant issue than was anticipated when the legislation was first developed.

The legislation was developed on the assumption that comparatively few interstate drivers committed drink-driving offences in the ACT and that existing penalties for drink-driving offences would be sufficient for dealing with those offenders. The bill did not seek to apply the immediate licence suspension provisions to interstate licence holders. However, ACT Policing have advised that their records indicate that a little over 10 per cent of people who are detected committing drink-driving and related offences in the ACT—on average that is around 150 people—reside outside the territory.

Clearly this is a higher proportion of total drink-driving offenders than had been anticipated. In light of this information, it seems appropriate to ensure that the immediate licence suspension provisions can be used effectively against those interstate licence holders and that they can be enforced where necessary.


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