Page 2438 - Week 08 - Thursday, 6 June 2013
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of this bill. This bill is an important reform for the territory. The establishment of an alcohol interlock regime, both a compulsory and also a voluntary element, will be an important complement to the other reforms to drink-driving laws which the Assembly adopted in amendments to relevant legislation in 2010. Those amendments made changes to maximum blood alcohol limits and how repeat offenders would be dealt with in the courts.
The changes today establish alcohol interlock arrangements, and they are an important proposal that will complement and further strengthen our response to the dangers of drink-driving. Regrettably there are some in our community for whom even repeat convictions in court are not sufficient to deal with their drink-driving behaviour. Alcohol interlocks, therefore, play a very important role. They ensure that drivers are physically not able to drive their motor vehicle until they have zero blood alcohol readings as registered by the interlock fitted to their vehicle.
Mr Rattenbury has indicated a number of, if you like, reassurances I have provided to him in writing, and I would like to reiterate those today. The government stands by the comments I have made in writing to Mr Rattenbury because my answers to the questions he asked reflect the government’s intentions in relation to issues such as cost and to review. Those reassurances are freely given and are given genuinely, and I thank him for his consideration of them.
The progress of this bill will now be able to be facilitated through the funding that is being put forward in the budget, and the government will now be working through the details of concession arrangements, how they will be secured and how they will meet the budget arrangements. But we will be ensuring that those types of concession arrangements will be in place.
The reform is one a long time coming, but we recognise that it has the potential to make a very significant improvement to incidents of repeat and serious drink-driving in the territory. It is those drivers to whom the scheme will apply, and it is a further reassurance to other drivers on the road that the government and government authorities take very seriously the issue of drink-driving and the harm and tragedy it can cause on our roads. This reform will play a very important role, and I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Adjournment
Motion by (Mr Corbell) proposed:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
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