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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (6 December) . . Page.. 3746 ..
MR STEFANIAK (continuing):
federal road funding. We have only just got to a stage where finally the Grants Commission has realised that the ACT was underfunded. Finally we are now getting some equity in funding. With about 1.7 or 1.8 per cent of the Australian population, the ACT pays about 6 per cent of income tax. Finally we are getting proper recognition that we should have a fair share of new federal road funding.
Recent research has also shown that our drivers have a very high rate of crashes when they drive interstate. It could mean that they bad drivers. Indeed, 46 per cent of crashes involving ACT motorists occur in New South Wales, and a significant proportion of those occur on rural roads. The numerous fatalities on the Barton, Monaro and Kings highways in recent years are tragic examples. Thus federal funding for road upgrades will benefit the whole region, as Mr Hird quite correctly said. It is a region of over half a million people, with thousands of interstate visitors each year.
While better and safer roads are important, they must be recognised as only part of the road safety equation. Education and training, enforcement and safe vehicles are also vital components of safe road use. In this context I would like to mention two special ACT government initiatives.
The Road Ready novice driver education program is a world's best - practice, graduated licensing system which is attracting highly favourable national attention. It is the first Australian driver licensing system to introduce a strong attitude and behaviour component as a prerequisite to getting a learner licence. Road Ready is being introduced in stages, having started in February this year, and it will be fully implemented by March next year.
Mr Hargreaves: What does this have to do with it?
MR STEFANIAK: If you are wondering what relevance it has, Mr Hargreaves, it is relevant to criticism your colleague Mr Quinlan made about this minister doing absolutely nothing in relation to roads.
The AFP and Urban Services vehicle inspectors launched a high - profile holiday season enforcement campaign on Monday, targeting things like speeding, drink - driving, seatbelt use and unsafe vehicles at the highest risk time of the year.
The effect of those education and enforcement initiatives is multiplied when combined with road upgrading. The new federal assistance is welcome and warranted. I hope the opposition support this. It is not every day that the federal government, of whatever political persuasion, offers the ACT $20 million to do anything, let alone to upgrade roads. It is a welcome initiative from the federal government. It is welcome for Australia, especially rural Australia, where it is crucially important, but is also very important for the ACT, which is the largest rural centre in Australia. The motion is very worthy of support.
Mr HARGREAVES
(12.21): We have heard this government belting the Labor Party and congratulating the minister for doing things nothing to do with roads. They claim all things wonderful in the receipt of stacks of money to address our deteriorating road problem. Funnily enough, we have not heard how much money from the ACT budget is
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