Page 529 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 March 2014
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Dr Bourke: Madam Speaker, I am having difficulty hearing the attorney answer my question.
MADAM SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, and it disrupts the minister’s answer. The minister has the floor.
MR CORBELL: It was not the only thing disrupting my answer. Madam Speaker, the road safety camera network was, of course, first established by Mr Smyth when he was the Minister for Urban Services, but this is the first time an ACT government has looked comprehensively at the operation of the road safety camera network, which has developed over the last decade.
I have asked my directorate to commission a broad evaluation which will look at the performance of the road safety camera network as a whole, including its impacts on crashes and speeding as well as governance. The evaluation will review existing Australian and international research as well as evaluations of other road safety camera programs to assist in identifying opportunities for any improvements in either its strategic functions or in relation to operational management.
This is a timely step to take. It is important that we look closely at the operation of the road safety camera network. I believe the Auditor-General now has finalised her own audit into these matters, and her audit I am sure is a piece of work that will be very, very useful in informing the work of this broader review which the government has commissioned.
This is an important step forward as we look at the further development of the road safety camera network and its efficacy to date.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Dr Bourke.
DR BOURKE: Attorney, how will cameras in the ACT be evaluated?
MR CORBELL: It is my intention that the evaluation will include an analysis of before and after data relating to crashes, speed and infringements for each of the different camera technologies. This analysis will assist in assessing to what extent the cameras have contributed to improving road safety. A review of existing Australian and international research will also be undertaken to assist in identifying opportunities for strategic or operational improvements.
The third component of the evaluation will involve a review of the existing governance arrangements to determine whether improvements can be made to the management and oversight of the program. The government wants the evaluation to identify any potential opportunities to gain improved road safety effectiveness from within existing resources and in relation to the overall oversight of the program. As I said before, this review will complement and build on the conclusions that the Auditor-General will provide when she brings down her report, which is focused on the strategic and operational management of the camera network. This will, I think, give the community reassurance that governance arrangements are appropriate, that
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