❓ Mr. Barnett questions the Premier on the rationale behind transferring the Office of Road Safety to the Department of Premier and Cabinet, given the Machinery of Government Taskforce's report. The Premier defends the decision as a whole-of-government approach.
AnsweredQoN 617Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
OFFICE OF ROAD SAFETY, TRANSFER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET
I refer to the Premier’s statement that transferring the Office of Road Safety to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet is a consequence of the Machinery of Government Taskforce recommendations. (1) Is the Premier aware that the Machinery of Government Taskforce report states on page 11 of the executive summary that no structural changes are proposed for the Premier’s portfolio? (2) Where in the Machinery of Government Taskforce report is the specific recommendation located to effect the transfer to his department? Dr GALLOP
I refer to the Premier’s statement that transferring the Office of Road Safety to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet is a consequence of the Machinery of Government Taskforce recommendations. (1) Is the Premier aware that the Machinery of Government Taskforce report states on page 11 of the executive summary that no structural changes are proposed for the Premier’s portfolio? (2) Where in the Machinery of Government Taskforce report is the specific recommendation located to effect the transfer to his department? Dr GALLOP
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) Before I answer that question, I will take the opportunity to add my congratulations to those of the Minister for Education to the Rossmoyne Senior High School. The school could be congratulated on many points, but I will mention just one to the House today. I have been a patron of the Western Australian Volleyball Association for some years now. The contribution that that school has made to the development of volleyball in not only Western Australia but also nationally through the efforts of the teachers of that school is outstanding and above the call of duty. We owe a debt of gratitude to the staff in all our government schools. However, we are today referring to the efforts of the staff of Rossmoyne Senior High School in not only the academic development but also the personal development of all the students of that school. I join with the Minister for Education in congratulating that school on its achievement. I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program. Mr Day: Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
(1) Is the Premier aware that the Machinery of Government Taskforce report states on page 11 of the executive summary that no structural changes are proposed for the Premier’s portfolio? (2) Where in the Machinery of Government Taskforce report is the specific recommendation located to effect the transfer to his department? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) Before I answer that question, I will take the opportunity to add my congratulations to those of the Minister for Education to the Rossmoyne Senior High School. The school could be congratulated on many points, but I will mention just one to the House today. I have been a patron of the Western Australian Volleyball Association for some years now. The contribution that that school has made to the development of volleyball in not only Western Australia but also nationally through the efforts of the teachers of that school is outstanding and above the call of duty. We owe a debt of gratitude to the staff in all our government schools. However, we are today referring to the efforts of the staff of Rossmoyne Senior High School in not only the academic development but also the personal development of all the students of that school. I join with the Minister for Education in congratulating that school on its achievement. I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program. Mr Day: Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
(2) Where in the Machinery of Government Taskforce report is the specific recommendation located to effect the transfer to his department? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) Before I answer that question, I will take the opportunity to add my congratulations to those of the Minister for Education to the Rossmoyne Senior High School. The school could be congratulated on many points, but I will mention just one to the House today. I have been a patron of the Western Australian Volleyball Association for some years now. The contribution that that school has made to the development of volleyball in not only Western Australia but also nationally through the efforts of the teachers of that school is outstanding and above the call of duty. We owe a debt of gratitude to the staff in all our government schools. However, we are today referring to the efforts of the staff of Rossmoyne Senior High School in not only the academic development but also the personal development of all the students of that school. I join with the Minister for Education in congratulating that school on its achievement. I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program. Mr Day: Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) Before I answer that question, I will take the opportunity to add my congratulations to those of the Minister for Education to the Rossmoyne Senior High School. The school could be congratulated on many points, but I will mention just one to the House today. I have been a patron of the Western Australian Volleyball Association for some years now. The contribution that that school has made to the development of volleyball in not only Western Australia but also nationally through the efforts of the teachers of that school is outstanding and above the call of duty. We owe a debt of gratitude to the staff in all our government schools. However, we are today referring to the efforts of the staff of Rossmoyne Senior High School in not only the academic development but also the personal development of all the students of that school. I join with the Minister for Education in congratulating that school on its achievement. I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program. Mr Day: Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
(1)-(2) Before I answer that question, I will take the opportunity to add my congratulations to those of the Minister for Education to the Rossmoyne Senior High School. The school could be congratulated on many points, but I will mention just one to the House today. I have been a patron of the Western Australian Volleyball Association for some years now. The contribution that that school has made to the development of volleyball in not only Western Australia but also nationally through the efforts of the teachers of that school is outstanding and above the call of duty. We owe a debt of gratitude to the staff in all our government schools. However, we are today referring to the efforts of the staff of Rossmoyne Senior High School in not only the academic development but also the personal development of all the students of that school. I join with the Minister for Education in congratulating that school on its achievement. I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program. Mr Day: Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program.
There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program.
Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program.
Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program.
Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
(1) Is the Premier aware that the Machinery of Government Taskforce report states on page 11 of the executive summary that no structural changes are proposed for the Premier’s portfolio? (2) Where in the Machinery of Government Taskforce report is the specific recommendation located to effect the transfer to his department? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) Before I answer that question, I will take the opportunity to add my congratulations to those of the Minister for Education to the Rossmoyne Senior High School. The school could be congratulated on many points, but I will mention just one to the House today. I have been a patron of the Western Australian Volleyball Association for some years now. The contribution that that school has made to the development of volleyball in not only Western Australia but also nationally through the efforts of the teachers of that school is outstanding and above the call of duty. We owe a debt of gratitude to the staff in all our government schools. However, we are today referring to the efforts of the staff of Rossmoyne Senior High School in not only the academic development but also the personal development of all the students of that school. I join with the Minister for Education in congratulating that school on its achievement. I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program. Mr Day: Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
(2) Where in the Machinery of Government Taskforce report is the specific recommendation located to effect the transfer to his department? Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) Before I answer that question, I will take the opportunity to add my congratulations to those of the Minister for Education to the Rossmoyne Senior High School. The school could be congratulated on many points, but I will mention just one to the House today. I have been a patron of the Western Australian Volleyball Association for some years now. The contribution that that school has made to the development of volleyball in not only Western Australia but also nationally through the efforts of the teachers of that school is outstanding and above the call of duty. We owe a debt of gratitude to the staff in all our government schools. However, we are today referring to the efforts of the staff of Rossmoyne Senior High School in not only the academic development but also the personal development of all the students of that school. I join with the Minister for Education in congratulating that school on its achievement. I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program. Mr Day: Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
Dr GALLOP replied: (1)-(2) Before I answer that question, I will take the opportunity to add my congratulations to those of the Minister for Education to the Rossmoyne Senior High School. The school could be congratulated on many points, but I will mention just one to the House today. I have been a patron of the Western Australian Volleyball Association for some years now. The contribution that that school has made to the development of volleyball in not only Western Australia but also nationally through the efforts of the teachers of that school is outstanding and above the call of duty. We owe a debt of gratitude to the staff in all our government schools. However, we are today referring to the efforts of the staff of Rossmoyne Senior High School in not only the academic development but also the personal development of all the students of that school. I join with the Minister for Education in congratulating that school on its achievement. I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program. Mr Day: Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
(1)-(2) Before I answer that question, I will take the opportunity to add my congratulations to those of the Minister for Education to the Rossmoyne Senior High School. The school could be congratulated on many points, but I will mention just one to the House today. I have been a patron of the Western Australian Volleyball Association for some years now. The contribution that that school has made to the development of volleyball in not only Western Australia but also nationally through the efforts of the teachers of that school is outstanding and above the call of duty. We owe a debt of gratitude to the staff in all our government schools. However, we are today referring to the efforts of the staff of Rossmoyne Senior High School in not only the academic development but also the personal development of all the students of that school. I join with the Minister for Education in congratulating that school on its achievement. I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program. Mr Day: Wrong, wrong, wrong. Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
I move to the question of road safety. When we looked at distribution of functions within government in Western Australia, we found that, as a result of legislative changes made by the previous coalition Government, road safety was entangled in a network of transport functions. It is our view that road safety is better dealt with as a whole-of-government function. To use an analogy, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention, which deals with crime prevention as a whole-of-government strategy. Our view is that responsibility for road safety is a matter for the whole of government, not just the police, transport and education authorities. The member for Midland will oversee that responsibility. There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program.
There were two ways in which we could have made road safety a whole-of-government responsibility. One would have been to establish a separate statutory authority. We have made it clear to this House that we want to reduce the number of statutory authorities in Western Australia. Our view is that there are too many of them. The previous Government was addicted to statutory authorities, and kept producing them at great cost to taxpayers. The alternative was to put the issue of road safety into the Department of the Premier and Cabinet portfolio, and to allocate ministerial responsibility to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, the member for Midland. That is exactly what we have done. Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program.
Our whole-of-government approach to road safety will ensure that it is given the proper treatment it deserves. I remind the House that we have much work to do in this area. Way back in 1993, when the coalition came to power, we had one of the lowest road fatality rates in the nation. When we took government earlier this year, Western Australia had gone from the best to the worst. That was our inheritance. We will make sure that this issue gets the treatment it deserves. Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program.
Western Australia now has a Government with the courage to make decisions. The 50-kilometre-an-hour speed limit is now in force in our suburban streets. This Labor Government implemented that. It has also banned the use of handheld mobile phones in motor cars, and extended the learner driver program.
Dr GALLOP: When did it come in? Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
Mr Day: That decision was made last year. Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
Dr GALLOP: It was not implemented during the member’s term of government, like many other things. The former Government gave us many words and much rhetoric. However, when it came to performance, it took a Labor Government to do those things. We have also allocated an extra $2 million to black spot funding. There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
There has been no basic change to the functions of the Premier, but we will put into my department the road safety portfolio, and allocate ministerial responsibility to my colleague the member for Midland. We will make sure that this issue is given the serious consideration it deserves.
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