Page 3414 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 22 August 2018
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(3) calls on the Minister for Justice, Consumer Affairs and Road Safety to report back to the Assembly by the last sitting day of 2018 on progress on proposals for road safety reforms for young people.”.
MS CODY (Murrumbidgee) (12.08): I want to take a moment to stand here as a mum of two boys with P-plates and one with their Ls and an aunt of a young girl with her Ls. I thank Mr Rattenbury for the work he has been doing and the consultation process that has been occurring. Whilst this contribution will not be long, I want to record my views on this important matter.
Road safety is no laughing matter. Too many people die or are injured on our roads. We need to make them safer: safer for the transport workers who are exposed to one of Australia’s most dangerous workplaces; safer for the young people over-represented in our road tolls; safer for everyone. This is a difficult issue and I am glad to see a vigorous debate. I thank Miss C Burch for the opportunity to put my views forward.
It is not just young people who are on P-plates, and it is not just young people and P-platers who work shifts, but both groups are more likely to work at night. They also have a tendency not to do their paperwork, so I can see an argument against an exemption scheme.
When it comes to passenger limits I also have concerns. As I said, I have two boys right in the middle of the group that we are talking about here. Young people, like older people, like to party. The idea of designated drivers has probably been one of the greatest social reform on road safety in the decades of the road safety campaigns. My youngest son uses the fact that he lives on campus at a university out of town to earn some extra money on weekends by being the designated driver for his friends going out drinking. So passenger limits can put at risk those who may choose not to use a designated driver, and I am not overly comfortable with that risk.
But as I said earlier, I thank and acknowledge Minister Rattenbury for his work on road safety, and I look forward to seeing him continue to advocate for road safety in the future.
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (12.10): I also will be brief. I want to thank Miss C Burch for putting this motion before the Assembly today and giving it wide attention. A number of the points that she has raised are very valid ones. I have been particularly glad to hear the contributions today. I expect I will hear some further contributions from other colleagues shortly which will further underline views that many of us in this place have.
I completely understand the intent of some of the proposals that have been put forward. This is really about safety and people’s lives. Minister Rattenbury has made that abundantly clear today.
While I will be supporting Minister Rattenbury’s amendment, I want to stress that I think that Miss C Burch raised some very important points in her motion. I will absolutely be supporting, without pre-empting it, the further motion to come from
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