Page 729 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 8 March 2016
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One reason that our ride-sharing regulation worked so well is that we consulted closely with industry to get the full benefit from the technology, whilst ensuring protections for the community. Well-meaning but overly prescriptive or mistimed regulation could cripple the potential of this technology. The easiest way for us to make sure no-one ever considers bringing this technology to Canberra is to put overly restrictive legislative barriers in their way. Such restrictions could even have the effect of banning the self-valet park technology available in Tesla models right now.
What we need is clever regulation that gives us the result we want, not a restrictive approach designed for other conditions and other countries. We should be rightly confident that we can build our own scheme that meets proponents’ requirements, reflects Canberra’s conditions and benefits Canberra’s consumers.
The government is already in the position to allow trials of autonomous vehicles by disallowable instrument using existing provisions in the Road Transport (General) Act 1999. This approach means we do not need to impose arbitrary or unnecessary conditions on a proponent looking to bring autonomous vehicles here. I cannot stress this point strongly enough: the path to success is engagement with industry partners. Pleasingly, this work is well underway. The government has already been in contact with leading companies such as Tesla and Google.
When we pull together, Canberrans can achieve remarkable things. My government will continue to work with the Canberra Business Chamber and others to realise the potential that our city offers. We will work with potential trial partners to understand how we can best support a trial within a regulatory framework that ensures safety and meets community expectations.
A principles-based approach lets us consider commercial interests and the needs of individual trials and proponents alongside public safety and use of public assets. We are also reaching out to the Australian government because the possibilities at the national level are so significant. I am hopeful that work undertaken in Canberra will ultimately be for the benefit of the entire nation.
The most important engagement, though, will be with Canberra’s community. We will listen. We will learn. I recognise that this is a change that will feel too slow for some, and way, way too fast for others. But as a community, and as a city, I know that we can work together to shape this change in a way that works for us all. I present the following paper:
Autonomous vehicles—Ministerial statement, 8 March 2016.
I move:
That the Assembly take note of the paper.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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