Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The speech that I was giving last night was cut off because of technical difficulties. I seek leave to have the remainder of my speech incorporated into Hansard.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that was granted for Senator Di Natale, and it's now being sought for Senator Rice for her own speech. Is leave granted?

Leave granted.

The speech read as follows—

She was on her way to work when the accident happened.

So it is crucial that we improve our road safety. Sadly, we haven't seen action from the government. They have failed to act on the recommendations of an independent review that they themselves commissioned.

And tragically, we are heading to the end of the current strategy, and the start of the next one in the coming year, without a clear strategy from government of what they intend to do.

Every month of delay is a month when more lives are lost, and many more people are seriously injured, often with health impacts that they then have to live with for the rest of their lives.

There is so much that the government could do.

This interim report notes that a core and central issue of the inquiry for the committee is how to prioritise road safety. They note that the impacts of road safety extend beyond the boundaries of transport, infrastructure and enforcement portfolios, and how the responsibility for addressing all aspects of road safety needs to be equally shared, and needs to be firmly in the centre of government.

The government's own independent review recommended the creation of a genuinely independent Office of Road Safety. But renaming a branch within the Department is not the same as creating a genuinely independent statutory authority. It's easy for the government to say they 'note' recommendations, to throw around funding for large road projects that happen to have a portion for safety.

Prioritising road safety means identifying and prioritising actions that are shown to be effective in improving safety - actions like ensuring that truck drivers are not being drastically underpaid so pushed into taking massive risks in their driving to try and make a reasonable living.

Actions like 30 and 40km speed limits in busy pedestrian areas, actions like serious federal funding for bike paths and lanes that separate bikes from cars and trucks.

The Greens propose at least a billion dollars should be spent on bike infrastructure over the next four years - it's perfect economic stimulus - money spent locally, providing local jobs, implementing in large measure plans that are already developed by local governments and are ready to go, and providing economic, health and environmental benefits

Meaningful action on road safety across the board is so important. We need a stronger road safety strategy, one that locks in meaningful funding, and works across levels of government. We can, and we must do more, to save lives around Australia.

I look forward to seeing the final report of this Committee later in the year.