Page 1211 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 24 June 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
NRMA-ACT ROAD SAFETY TRUST BILL 1992
Debate resumed from 18 June 1992, on motion by Mr Connolly:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
MR WESTENDE (4.46): Madam Speaker, once again we have a Bill to consider that is hot off the printer. This is becoming a very familiar tune, but we will keep hammering home the point that this is not the way to conduct the business of this Assembly. It so happens that we have been able to do a bit of consulting on the run with this Bill, because we were aware that it was going to come before the Assembly - not because of any courtesy of the Government, I might add. This advice came from the industry. It is really great to hear about a forthcoming piece of legislation from outside the Assembly!
We understand that this Bill will achieve two main objectives. It will legally establish the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust as a charitable trust and it will indemnify the trustees, the NRMA, the Territory and any person acting under their direction. The Bill sets out the objects and purposes of the trust, and we have no objections to those. Once the trust has been legally installed, it intends to call for public submissions from any interested groups or individuals who are seeking financial assistance for projects dealing with road safety matters.
The NRMA have indicated to us that they already have some applications for assistance which can be considered by the trust. They have also indicated to us that they expect that it will take a while to get enough projects to consider. They will also allow time to evaluate the effectiveness of projects before dispensing too many grants in the initial stages. Not only will the trust be the sole funding body for all projects; it will also consider partly financing existing projects. Madam Speaker, the NRMA has a commendable project in the establishment of this trust, and I expect it to produce some very worthwhile results in an area that has always required more attention, that is, road safety. This Bill will set that process in train, and we support it.
MR MOORE (4.49): The Bill aims to allocate the excess profits acquired from third-party insurance premiums - an amount of $10m - into a trust fund to be spent on projects which enhance motoring safety in the ACT. The additional objects and purposes of the trust are identified in Part 3 of the schedule to the Bill. They are to promote and stimulate research and investigation on road safety and a series of other things that are in themselves very worth while. But the important part about this schedule is that it does not narrow the principal object, which is to enhance road safety for the benefit of the Australian Capital Territory road using community - really a more directive area. I hope that other ideas come from the community that will be useful in using this money in line with that principal object. By and large, the Bill is what I perceive as a machinery Bill that fits in with the announcement made by the NRMA that they were prepared to put money to use in this way. An announcement was made, I guess, nearly a year ago. I am quite happy to support the Bill.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (4.50), in reply: I am pleased that members of the Assembly have seen fit to support this Bill. I note again the Liberal Party expressing concern that they have not had enough time to look at it.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .