Page 1180 - Week 03 - Thursday, 31 March 2011

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One of the responses the government has made to that reality is to provide for mandatory testing of novice motorcycle riders for the issuing of a conditional permit to ride a bike. Experience and evidence of crashes that have occurred involving motorcyclists in the last few years—they are appallingly over-represented in road accident statistics—shows a need for motorcyclists to be more self-aware and perhaps to accept a greater responsibility for their own vulnerability and for the way in which they ride.

In line with the recommendations of this review, the government has agreed in principle to making, as I said, those pre-provisional licence courses mandatory. The course is currently only compulsory should applicants fail the pre-provisional licence test, and the course contains an on-road riding component. It is proposed, as I said, to make that fully assessable.

Making the pre-provisional licence mandatory will require changes to the TAMS administrative processes and the contract arrangements with the ACT’s motorcycle training provider, Stay Upright. A minor change to the ACT driver licensing regulation will also be required. In addition, Stay Upright will need time to source and engage sufficient staff to deliver the increased number of courses required. Accordingly, this change will not be put in place immediately but will hopefully be introduced as soon as possible.

It should be noted that the 2006 audit report was prepared prior to new arrangements being established by TAMS under the ACT road safety strategy 2007-10. To some extent, the recommendations of the 2006 and 2009 audit reports, which deal with specific initiatives, have been overtaken by the broader priorities and key initiatives established under the ACT road safety strategy and accompanying action plan. Nevertheless, the ACT government has been implementing these recommendations as part of continuing work under the ACT road safety action plan, and I am pleased to provide this update on progress to Assembly members.

I present the following paper:

Public Accounts—Standing Committee—Report 12—Review of Auditor-General's Report No 2 of 2009: Follow-up Audit—Implementation of Audit Recommendations on Road Safety—Government response—Statement to the Assembly.

I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (12.06): I thank Mr Stanhope for providing the update to the Assembly about the issue of road safety today. I know it is an issue which Mr Stanhope himself is very passionate about and concerned about, and I appreciate his words today.

There have been many deaths on the road in the ACT in recent years, and these are terrible and tragic events. As Mr Stanhope said, when we look at the statistics,


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