Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to commend this motion moved by the member for Boothby and also to commend her outstanding speech. It is a timely reminder to all Australians about the need to drive safely on our roads. As the motion describes, there are at least two approaches that our communities can take to address this issue: driver education and government investment in known black spots.

Driver education can, of course, come in many forms, but as the mother of two young children no example has struck me more than the one championed by the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation, an organisation of which I am proud to be patron. Michelle and David McLaughlin launched the foundation in memory of their precious son Tom. The tragic loss of Tom in a road accident at Macmasters Beach in my electorate two years ago helped Michelle and David build a legacy through child road safety initiatives and education. In their own words, Tom was a vibrant and loving young boy with a zest for life and an unforgettable smile. He loved to draw blue dinosaurs, and image that is now the logo for his foundation. Tom's message, 'Slow Down, Kids Around' is now written in colourful writing on signs at beaches and alongside some of our busiest roads on the Central Coast. And I am sure it is sinking in, because my own two young children, Oscar and Mollie-Joy, have both stopped in front of busy traffic on two separate occasions, because they remembered the little blue dinosaur and its message. I would like one day to see the 'Slow Down, Kids Around' signs displayed right around the country, especially if it means safer roads for families and young children.

Other driver education methods can be more direct. For example, I have met with Ronak Shah and Luke Wall from the Academy of Road Safety in my electorate. Their focus is to reach as many high school students as they can to deliver training in knowing what to do if faced with an emergency situation behind the wheel and in understanding the reasoning behind speed limits. I would encourage our young people to consider courses like this, in particular, as the Member for Boothby has outlined, our young men.

The New South Wales member for Terrigal, Adam Crouch, has also been a strong advocate in this area and I would like to commend his leadership in helping to make sure more young people are getting the training they need to stay safe on our roads. Two recent devastating fatal incidents in my electorate this year have demonstrated why this is so urgent. First, teenager Jackson Williams died on Willoughby Road at Wamberal. Jackson was a back-seat passenger in a car that left the road, hitting a power pole. Local resident Lindy Hewett started an online petition, which has attracted more than 5,000 signatures. It was presented to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport here at parliament. Such an extraordinary response in just a few short days from our tight-knit community on the Central Coast is partly why I am calling for this road to be upgraded by Central Coast Council.

The other incident tragically happened just three weeks later. It involved a mother of four young children, Annabelle Deall. Aged in her early 30s, Annabelle, a pedestrian, died after being struck by a car outside The Cowrie, a restaurant in Terrigal. I have also nominated this stretch of the Scenic Highway for consideration for Black Spot funding. I recently held a community morning tea in Terrigal to hear more stories from locals about why this road—which is not a highway, in the strictest definition of the word, but a suburban street—must be addressed.

We still have work to do with the council and our community to ensure we get the right traffic solutions in both locations. But I welcome the response from Central Coast Council, which announced that at a public meeting to be held in the coming weeks they will reveal preliminary plans for the Scenic Highway. Council CEO Rob Noble said last week that they have inspected the site and started a detailed review of the road, which includes improved pedestrian facilities and roadworks designed to slow down traffic. I echo Mr Noble's words: 'This was a terrible, terrible tragedy, and our hearts go out to the family.'

I am fighting for funding from the Turnbull government's Black Spot Program for both projects. The government has invested $500 million in this program, from 2014-15 to 2018-19, with an additional $200 million from this financial year that makes an important contribution under the National Road Safety Strategy and the National Road Safety Action Plan to reducing the national road toll. More than $2.7 million has already been delivered in my electorate since 2013, including fixing dangerous black spots at East Gosford, Green Point, Umina Beach, Gosford, Woy Woy, Narara, Kincumber, Mooney Mooney, Patonga, Avoca Beach and Somersby. I commend this motion to the House and again ask drivers to slow down and take care this holiday season.

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