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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (15 May) . . Page.. 1457 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

I ask for leave to have my presentation speech incorporated in Hansard.

Leave granted.

Document incorporated at Appendix 3.

Debate (on motion by Mr Wood) adjourned.

MOTOR TRAFFIC (ALCOHOL AND DRUGS) (AMENDMENT) BILL 1997

MR KAINE (Minister for Urban Services) (11.03): Mr Speaker, I present the Motor Traffic (Alcohol and Drugs) (Amendment) Bill 1997, together with its explanatory memorandum.

Title read by Clerk.

MR KAINE: I move:

That this Bill be agreed to in principle.

Mr Speaker, drink-driving and speeding continue to be the cause of most road accidents in the ACT. Of the 23 road deaths in Canberra during 1996, around a quarter involved alcohol. This Government has taken steps to discourage drink-driving through these current legislative measures. We have toughened up penalties for drink-driving offences to give the message that drink-driving is not acceptable. The amendments will provide a greater deterrent to drink-driving and irresponsible driving than ever before. They will change the way the courts will apply penalties for all drink-driving offences. They will also toughen up laws for people appearing before the courts for repeat and high-level drink-driving offences.

To add cross-border consistency to drink-driving laws, this Government has sought to improve the penalty provisions by introducing a tiered system like that in place in New South Wales. Some changes have been made to offences with a blood alcohol concentration between .05 and .08 by removing the current provision which allows the police to issue a traffic infringement notice. The courts will now have the option to cancel a licence or impose a fine for these offences.

This Government has also made it easier for the court system by removing the need for offenders to return to the courts to have their licences restored. When a licence cancellation period ends, people will now be able to obtain a licence from the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Of course, people who the courts believe have ongoing alcohol problems will still need to return to the court to have their licences restored.

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