❓ Opposition questions Premier about reallocating the road safety portfolio to the Minister for Police due to the rising road toll. The Premier defends the current approach, highlighting government investment and the need for community responsibility.
AnsweredQoN 707Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COOK GOVERNMENT —
ROAD SAFETY — PORTFOLIO ALLOCATION
707. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. Given that the road toll currently stands at 149
lives lost, will the Premier reconsider and shift the road safety
portfolio back into the care of the Minister for Police?
ROAD SAFETY — PORTFOLIO ALLOCATION
707. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Premier:
I
have a supplementary question. Given that the road toll currently stands at 149
lives lost, will the Premier reconsider and shift the road safety
portfolio back into the care of the Minister for Police?
AnswerView source ↗
I think that sums up completely how
those opposite think that the simple way to resolve a complex issue like road
safety is to fiddle with the portfolios. If only it were that easy. It is hard
work that requires all of government, not simply the Minister for Road Safety,
to do their part in making sure that we all put downward pressure on deaths on
our roads. That goes down to the Minister for Transport, who is overseeing over
8 000 kilometres and I think around $1 billion
of funding into improving the safety of our regional roads with wider and
harder shoulders, audible edging and other measures that will make sure
our roads stay safer. It is down to the Minister for Police, who has recruited a record number of police. He is making
sure that they have the resources and continue to patrol our roads in a manner
that is effective and continues to make sure that people understand that if
they break the law on the roads, the police
will come down on them. Of course, it is about making sure that our health
services and emergency response services are all in place to support our
road users when they come into mischief. At the end of the day, there is only
so much a government can do. We have done much. A total of $122 million was
allocated this year to road safety
initiatives alone, including enforcement infrastructure, community engagement
and education, police , data research
and post-crash response. In August, we committed more than $50 million as part
of the state's black spot program and safer roads program. Since
2020, we have delivered more than $1 billion in our successful regional road safety program designed to target
regional areas of WA. In addition, we are investing billions in road improvements.
Because we have seen an upward
movement in road fatalities, I convened a road safety summit. Following that
summit, we committed to making sure we did things in the short term, medium
term and long term. Straightaway, we went to $32.5 million for regional road
safety initiatives, including $20 million for safety treatments on regional
local roads, $8.6 million for two new breath and drug testing buses in regional
areas, and $2.1 million for more police traffic enforcement in regional areas.
In addition, on 9 September, $160 000 was allocated for not-for-profit and community groups for road safety events and
projects targeting drivers aged 17 to 29. On 22 September, we launched
the hard-hitting Speeding Shatters Your Excuses advertising campaign,
continuing to remind the community that as a community we need to do better.
We will continue to make more
announcements in the coming months but, ultimately, we need all drivers to make safe choices on the roads. We cannot police
our way to a road safety outcome. It requires everyone in the community to do their bit and make positive choices. It is about driving to the
conditions; slowing down; making sure that they
do not drive drunk or tired; wearing a seatbelt, for goodness sake—it
is not hard; and avoiding distractions like mobile phones. These are the
statistics that alarm me the most: in 2022–23, 221 of the 333 fatalities
on WA roads, that is 66 per cent, involved
factors that could have been prevented. For instance, 48, or 14 per cent, were
not w earing a seatbelt; 53, or 16 per cent, were alcohol related; 75, or
23 per cent, were speed related; 13, or four per cent, were fatigue related;
and 32, or 10 per cent, were inattention related. These are statistics and
statistics can never tell the story of the hurt, loss and sometimes lifelong
trauma associated with motor vehicle accidents, the impact it has on families'
and survivors' lives and the impact of course on those families who
will never see their loved ones again.
Once again, we will do everything
that we can, but it requires the people of Western Australia to do the right
thing, make the right choices and understand
that when you get behind the wheel of a car, by definition, you place yourself in a dangerous situation that requires care—care for yourself, care for
other people in your car and care for the community, who also use the roads
that you are using. Once again to the people of Western Australia, please do
everything to protect yourself, others and your families.
those opposite think that the simple way to resolve a complex issue like road
safety is to fiddle with the portfolios. If only it were that easy. It is hard
work that requires all of government, not simply the Minister for Road Safety,
to do their part in making sure that we all put downward pressure on deaths on
our roads. That goes down to the Minister for Transport, who is overseeing over
8 000 kilometres and I think around $1 billion
of funding into improving the safety of our regional roads with wider and
harder shoulders, audible edging and other measures that will make sure
our roads stay safer. It is down to the Minister for Police, who has recruited a record number of police. He is making
sure that they have the resources and continue to patrol our roads in a manner
that is effective and continues to make sure that people understand that if
they break the law on the roads, the police
will come down on them. Of course, it is about making sure that our health
services and emergency response services are all in place to support our
road users when they come into mischief. At the end of the day, there is only
so much a government can do. We have done much. A total of $122 million was
allocated this year to road safety
initiatives alone, including enforcement infrastructure, community engagement
and education, police , data research
and post-crash response. In August, we committed more than $50 million as part
of the state's black spot program and safer roads program. Since
2020, we have delivered more than $1 billion in our successful regional road safety program designed to target
regional areas of WA. In addition, we are investing billions in road improvements.
Because we have seen an upward
movement in road fatalities, I convened a road safety summit. Following that
summit, we committed to making sure we did things in the short term, medium
term and long term. Straightaway, we went to $32.5 million for regional road
safety initiatives, including $20 million for safety treatments on regional
local roads, $8.6 million for two new breath and drug testing buses in regional
areas, and $2.1 million for more police traffic enforcement in regional areas.
In addition, on 9 September, $160 000 was allocated for not-for-profit and community groups for road safety events and
projects targeting drivers aged 17 to 29. On 22 September, we launched
the hard-hitting Speeding Shatters Your Excuses advertising campaign,
continuing to remind the community that as a community we need to do better.
We will continue to make more
announcements in the coming months but, ultimately, we need all drivers to make safe choices on the roads. We cannot police
our way to a road safety outcome. It requires everyone in the community to do their bit and make positive choices. It is about driving to the
conditions; slowing down; making sure that they
do not drive drunk or tired; wearing a seatbelt, for goodness sake—it
is not hard; and avoiding distractions like mobile phones. These are the
statistics that alarm me the most: in 2022–23, 221 of the 333 fatalities
on WA roads, that is 66 per cent, involved
factors that could have been prevented. For instance, 48, or 14 per cent, were
not w earing a seatbelt; 53, or 16 per cent, were alcohol related; 75, or
23 per cent, were speed related; 13, or four per cent, were fatigue related;
and 32, or 10 per cent, were inattention related. These are statistics and
statistics can never tell the story of the hurt, loss and sometimes lifelong
trauma associated with motor vehicle accidents, the impact it has on families'
and survivors' lives and the impact of course on those families who
will never see their loved ones again.
Once again, we will do everything
that we can, but it requires the people of Western Australia to do the right
thing, make the right choices and understand
that when you get behind the wheel of a car, by definition, you place yourself in a dangerous situation that requires care—care for yourself, care for
other people in your car and care for the community, who also use the roads
that you are using. Once again to the people of Western Australia, please do
everything to protect yourself, others and your families.
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