Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week a constituent wrote to me about an incident she had had in the car park of her local supermarket. The incident involved a collision between her vehicle and that of a Russian diplomat. It escalated to the point where she had to call the police to calm the situation down. I wrote to the ambassador demanding an apology and demanding that the embassy contact her insurance company, and I was glad when she received an apology. Yet I was saddened when it appeared to be rescinded in a letter to the editor the next day. This is not to target the Russian embassy or any particular embassy. All diplomatic missions have a responsibility to treat their host communities with respect. That respect is not shown by driving dangerously, so I welcome the recent agreement between the ACT government and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The agreement will see the suspension of driver's licences for diplomats who repeatedly break the road rules or refuse to pay traffic fines. It reflects the mutual obligation—and I underscore that; this is a mutual obligation—of those who share the roads to share the responsibility to keep themselves safe. Canberra is a proud and welcoming host to 106 dramatic missions. We take that responsibility very, very seriously. All we ask for is respect, because when you are hit by a vehicle driving way too fast, with a driver way over the limit, your body does not care about the colour of the vehicle's plates.