❓ Question on Notice regarding the Minister for Police's delay in implementing novice driver reforms announced by the previous minister, particularly concerning peer passenger restrictions, following a fatal car crash in Melbourne.
AnsweredQoN 690Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROAD SAFETY — NOVICE DRIVER REFORMS
690. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Police:
Following the overnight tragedy in
Melbourne where three teenagers have died and one is fighting for his life
after a harsh, high-speed crash in an overloaded car, I ask —
(1) Can the
minister justify to the house why she has sat on critical novice driver reforms
that were announced on 21 April by the previous minister?
(2) Does she
concede that her inaction, particularly her failure to put peer passenger
restrictions in place, could cost young lives?
690. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Police:
Following the overnight tragedy in
Melbourne where three teenagers have died and one is fighting for his life
after a harsh, high-speed crash in an overloaded car, I ask —
(1) Can the
minister justify to the house why she has sat on critical novice driver reforms
that were announced on 21 April by the previous minister?
(2) Does she
concede that her inaction, particularly her failure to put peer passenger
restrictions in place, could cost young lives?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2)
I thank the member for this question on road safety. It has been a while since
I have been asked a question on road safety in this house. I appreciate the
opportunity to highlight road safety issues for the community. The suite of
recommendations from the novice driver restrictions —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
That you spent two years reviewing.
The SPEAKER :
Order, member for Midland!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
It has been under review. There were a couple of aspects of the novice driver
reform package about which a case had not been made for the government to make
sweeping changes to novice driver —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : That's not what your cabinet signed off on in April,
though, is it? It signed off on these laws.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : The member is not a part of cabinet.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : I have read the press release from the former minister, and I
assume he was accurate.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : How does the member know what cabinet decisions are if she is
not sitting around the table. With respect to the novice driver —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
This is how I know; it's a press release by the former minister!
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland, you have asked a question. I expect the Minister for Police
to answer it. Once again to all members in this place, respect the member for
Midland who has asked the question, and respect the Minister for Police because
she is answering it. I do not need to hear from anybody else, and I do not
think that anybody else needs to hear from anybody else.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
One of the aspects of the novice driver reform package about which I was not
particularly happy was the recommendation that related to restrictions on the
size of vehicle that novice drivers would be able to drive. One of my queries
relates to the number of serious injury crashes involving drivers aged between
17 years and 19 years in high-performance vehicles, which is 0.2 per cent of
the total. I am interested in road safety initiatives for novice drives that
will not inconvenience the high number of very good young people out there who
do the right thing in their motor vehicles. I am not prepared to inconvenience
the majority of novice drivers —
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : —
on the back of recommendations that I do not believe have been scientifically
proven or substantiated. I sent the novice driver package back to the Road
Safety Council and asked it to reassess various aspects of it. I am currently
awaiting advice from it about its assessment of those particular areas of
concern.
I thank the member for this question on road safety. It has been a while since
I have been asked a question on road safety in this house. I appreciate the
opportunity to highlight road safety issues for the community. The suite of
recommendations from the novice driver restrictions —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
That you spent two years reviewing.
The SPEAKER :
Order, member for Midland!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
It has been under review. There were a couple of aspects of the novice driver
reform package about which a case had not been made for the government to make
sweeping changes to novice driver —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : That's not what your cabinet signed off on in April,
though, is it? It signed off on these laws.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : The member is not a part of cabinet.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : I have read the press release from the former minister, and I
assume he was accurate.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : How does the member know what cabinet decisions are if she is
not sitting around the table. With respect to the novice driver —
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
This is how I know; it's a press release by the former minister!
The SPEAKER :
Member for Midland, you have asked a question. I expect the Minister for Police
to answer it. Once again to all members in this place, respect the member for
Midland who has asked the question, and respect the Minister for Police because
she is answering it. I do not need to hear from anybody else, and I do not
think that anybody else needs to hear from anybody else.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
One of the aspects of the novice driver reform package about which I was not
particularly happy was the recommendation that related to restrictions on the
size of vehicle that novice drivers would be able to drive. One of my queries
relates to the number of serious injury crashes involving drivers aged between
17 years and 19 years in high-performance vehicles, which is 0.2 per cent of
the total. I am interested in road safety initiatives for novice drives that
will not inconvenience the high number of very good young people out there who
do the right thing in their motor vehicles. I am not prepared to inconvenience
the majority of novice drivers —
Ms
M.M. Quirk interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Girrawheen!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : —
on the back of recommendations that I do not believe have been scientifically
proven or substantiated. I sent the novice driver package back to the Road
Safety Council and asked it to reassess various aspects of it. I am currently
awaiting advice from it about its assessment of those particular areas of
concern.
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