13/8/07
The first meeting today of a bipartisan Parliamentary Road Safety Reference Group is a vital part of the widest community and parliamentary consultation on road safety ever to be undertaken in Australia, Road Safety Minister John Kobelke said.
"The shocking and wasteful loss of life on our roads, compounded by three deaths over the weekend, highlights the importance of having the whole community play a part in the developing our next road safety strategy," Mr Kobelke said.
"Also we cannot ignore the 3,000 people a year who are hospitalised from road crashes because this places a high financial cost on the community, and enormous stress and strain for West Australian families.
"Reducing injury and death on our roads is the responsibility of us all - Government, political leaders, business and industry, and each and every road user.
25 Parliamentarians attended the Reference Group meeting and the main points discussed included:
- the need for a long-term road safety framework to take into consideration planning for any changes to infrastructure and policing;
- the need to take into account regional variations and different funding requirements in any new road safety strategy;
- the need for the new strategy to take into account high-risk minority groups, such as remote communities, indigenous road users and novice drivers, as well as the broader community; and
- the need for the new strategy to overlap with plans to encourage people to use alternative transport instead of private cars, and make the roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
"This new bipartisan approach to road safety has emerged from the efforts of Liberal and National road safety spokesmen John McGrath and Terry Waldron," he said.
"It is encouraging to have so many of my fellow Members of Parliament recognise that ensuring road safety is not an issue that should be driven by party politics."
The group is chaired by road safety expert Eric Howard, former general manager of VicRoads Road Safety and a member of several international road safety committees.
It was given a presentation from the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) on the evidence-based modelling approach that would form the scientific basis of the new strategy.
Recommendations from the MUARC, community feedback from State-wide consultation forums, an internet questionnaire and the Reference Group, will be incorporated into an options paper to be presented to the public for further consideration in mid-October.
The Reference Group will meet at least twice more to provide essential input into the strategy that will inform the final advice to Government.
The group also endorsed the need for a whole-of-community approach to road safety and is continuing to work on recommendations for inclusion in the options paper.
Minister's office - 9222 9211
Attendees:
John Castrilli MLA Member for Bunbury
Murray Criddle MLC Member for Agricultural Region
John D'Orazio MLA Member for Ballajura
Ed Dermer MLC Member for North Metropolitan Region
Judy Edwards MLA Member for Maylands
Graham Giffard MLC Member for North Metropolitan Region
Shane Hill MLA Member for Geraldton
Katie Hodson-Thomas MLA Member for Carine
John Hyde MLA Member for Perth
John Kobelke MLA Member for Balcatta
Bob Kucera MLA Member for Yokine
John McGrath MLA Member for South Perth
Simon O'Brien MLC Member for South Metropolitan Region
Tony O'Gorman MLA Member for Joondalup
Paul Papalia MLA Member for Peel
Jaye Radisich MLA Member for Swan Hills
Tony Simpson MLA Member for Serpentine-Jarrahdale
Trevor Sprigg MLA Member for Murdoch
Tom Stephens MLA Member for Central Kimberley-Pilbara
Max Trenorden MLA Member for Avon
Terry Waldron MLA Member for Wagin
Peter Watson MLA Member for Albany
Martin Whitely MLA Member for Bassendean
Janet Woollard MLA Member for Alfred Cove
Ben Wyatt MLA Member for Victoria Park
