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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 7 Hansard (2 July) . . Page.. 2200 ..

MR HARGREAVES (continuing):

After two recommendations from the Urban Services Committee, the Minister will not make a commitment to implementing a planned program of expenditure on rehabilitating the Territory's roads. During the Estimates Committee hearings he rattled on that the level of expenditure was adequate, but that was never the question. Is it really that hard to start a program and make a commitment to the ACT public about their roads? Commonsense tells you that by putting a program in place you are protecting yourself for the future rather than running down the condition of assets to a point where it will cost you twice as much to repair them. By ignoring the issue, the Minister is digging his department a great big black hole for them to inevitably drive their buses into.

How does a department get out of that black hole? With speed cameras. The Minister claims that speed cameras are in the interests of road safety. The Labor Party acknowledges that speed is still a major factor which contributes to road fatalities and we too are committed to seeing the statistics drop. But there are still too many unknowns regarding speed cameras. For instance - and I do not know whether to say this slowly or to give them snapshots - will the cameras be operated out in the open or round corners? We do not know. Will there be an amnesty period for people? We do not know. Probably not. This is a revenue-collecting can-do government. It is can-do when it comes to collecting fines. Where does the system fit into a declared and comprehensive road safety strategy? I do not want to hear, "It is coming. It is coming round the bend". It is coming round the mountain; it is not coming round the bend. The only thing round the bend at the moment is the whole concept of speed cameras.

These are all very important questions this Government has failed to address. I understand that the Government intends to release a road safety strategy later in 1999. I have no quarrel with a road safety strategy. I reckon it is great stuff. The Government are also going to have a community awareness program relating to speed cameras. That is going to begin this month. I am pleased to see that the Government has been listening to me in recent times. I have been in the press advocating the need for a strategy. However, this Government should be providing a comprehensive road safety strategy before the introduction of the speed cameras, so that the cameras can be transparently seen as part of an overall strategy to change driver attitude and behaviour.

Any road safety strategy ought to be complete. What we will be seeing is something stitched together when we have the speed cameras in and we have the programs. I would like to see exactly what the media campaign is going to be. I would not have a clue. We were not told. Nobody knows. Nobody in the public has a clue. It can be a great road safety strategy when we tell them what we have told them, not tell them what we are going to tell them. The road safety strategy is being developed, yet they are still going ahead with one of the major parts of it. So much for community consultation on the efficacy of such a strategy. How about developing your strategy first. Put it down so people can have a look at it, pick holes in it and give you some better ideas. Then people will realise you are genuine. I do not believe you are. Originally, this Government was intending to introduce legislation last week and debate it this week, allowing no time for the drivers of Canberra to adjust to it.

Mr Moore: And you stuffed that up, did you not?

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