Page 3062 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 2013

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If you enforce it rigorously and you make sure that the risk is reflected in the temporary traffic zone, and that the zone kicks in at the appropriate time and switches off at the appropriate time, people have confidence in the system. When you do not have an “End roadworks” sign, or when you have a 40 kilometre an hour sign hundreds of metres before alleged roadworks and there is nothing there, you erode confidence in the system. And that is when road workers actually get put at risk.

I urge the government to get on top of this issue and to ensure that there is no apathy towards roadwork speed limits in the ACT. It is absolutely vital that all road workers, all pedestrians and all motorists can have confidence that, when there is a speed reduction sign in place, it is warranted, it is justified, and they need to do it. Then, when that risk has passed, they can resume their original speed. It is very important that that system is put in place and that there is integrity behind it.

Ms Berry also spoke about consultation and that perhaps this was some sort of divisive way of doing it. Ms Berry fails to remember that it was actually my letterboxing which brought this issue to the fore. Originally, the government letterboxed 62 houses. Then I went and letterboxed 3,000 houses in Holt and Higgins. Mr Gill from Roads ACT acknowledged that that was when the letters started to flood in. I held a public meeting; I had 100 people turn up and heard views of constituents. I then did a follow-up letterbox to another 3,000 people in Holt and Higgins. As a result of that, we did get some movement. There were others that did this as well; there is no denying that. But we cannot have a revisionist history towards this as well. You need to be very careful about grandstanding accusations and who is actually grandstanding when you make those kinds of false allegations.

It is very important that we get this right. The government has let down the people of Holt and Higgins. Beaurepaire, Trickett and Messenger are now far more dangerous streets than they were before. I urge members to support the motion as on the notice paper.

Question put:

That Mr Rattenbury’s amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Amendment agreed to.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

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