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| Ms LAWRIE (Infrastructure and Transport): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time. The purpose of the bill is to amend the Traffic Act, Motor Vehicles Act, and Motor Vehicles Regulations in order to implement elements of this government’s road safety reform package. The bill I am introducing today will provide new requirements for learner and provisional licence holders, and creates an offence for learner and provisional licence holders to use mobile phones in any context while driving. It will broaden the scope of who can take blood from drink drivers and those involved in accidents. It will create harsher penalties for low-level drink driver repeat offenders and clarify the legislation in relation to how information is recorded on speed camera infringement notices, and repeal the Road Safety Council Act. It is an unfortunate fact that our young and inexperienced drivers are most at risk in the early years of driving. This phenomenon is consistent in most developed countries and in all Australian states. We cannot stand back and do nothing while this over-representation continues. Here are some sobering Northern Territory statistics from the Road Safety Taskforce report: · 16- to 20-year-olds comprise 6.3% of all drivers, but were drivers in 18% of all crashes and 18.7% of all crashes involving a fatality; · 21- to 25-year-olds comprise 10.8% of all drivers, but were drivers in 14.5% of all crashes and 17.6% of crashes involving a fatality; and · 6.6% of drivers aged 16 to 20 years had a crash each year compared to 2.4% for all drivers. The bill establishes the necessary legislative mechanisms to introduce phase one of the proposed changes to the Northern Territory graduated licensing system. This is the first phase of measures that will pave the way for the future introduction of a comprehensive young driver licensing system with the primary goal of reducing the significant over-representation of young Territorians in crash and injury rates. Phase one will commence on 1 July 2007 and will provide: · a six-month minimum learner licence period for drivers and riders under the age of 25; · a provisional licence period of two years for drivers under the age of 25; · all mobile phone use, either for voice or text messaging, including hands free, will be prohibited during the learner and provisional periods of licensing; and · a comprehensive education and communications campaign will accompany these changes. The government is also serious about targeting low-level repeat drink drivers. A ‘two strikes and you are out’ regime will apply to all repeat drink drive offences. The proposed bill will introduce tough new measures for all low-level drink drive offences, whereby a ticket for a previously expiated 0.05 to 0.08 offence will now count as a finding of guilt and will be recorded by police. A second low-level offence within three years will result in immediate licence suspension and a minimum licence disqualification of three months imposed by the court. A subsequent offence within three years will result in an immediate suspension and a court imposed minimum six month licence lost. It needs to be clear to all NT drivers and riders these new penalties will apply to all low level zero and 0.05 to 0.08 offences currently dealt with by a ticket. A first offence will result in a ticket and further offences within three years will be dealt with harshly. These provisions apply to drivers and riders currently subject to zero alcohol requirements including taxi and hire car drivers, heavy vehicle, bus, tourist vehicle and 18 to 25 year olds who have not held their licence for three years. These drivers are not permitted to have any alcohol in their system when driving. These changes will mean that young drivers as well as commercial and heavy vehicle drivers will not be able to resist having a couple of drinks and driving. A second offence within three years will immediately put them off the road and any offence will count that is if they go over 0.05 in their private vehicle of if they go over zero in their taxi, truck or bus. There are no short cuts for anyone: two strikes and you are out. Madam Speaker, these changes confirm the government’s commitment to tackling drink driving. This bill makes it clear that having a few drinks after work, out on a boat, or at a barby, and driving home is just not okay. The time limit for persons to submit or blood sampling will be extended from 2 hours to 4 hours. This will go someway to address practical policing difficulties in getting drink drivers or those involved in road accidents where injuries have occurred in a place where breath analysis cannot occur or where blood sampling cannot take place. The bill also includes scope for medical practitioners, registered nurses or qualified persons to collect blood samples for alcohol testing in locations other than registered hospitals. This expansion of who can take blood and where it can be taken will be optional. It will remain a government responsibility to ensure blood is taken in the Northern Territory registered hospitals from those involved in road crashes or brought in by police. Expanding who can take blood in hospitals will help in reducing pressures faced by doctors. The bill amends the Traffic Act to clarify how information is captured by a speed camera and transferred to the infringement notice sent to the owner of the vehicle. This change will remove any confusion as to what was intended to appear on the infringement notice. The final feature of the bill that I would like to address in this debate concerns the establishment of the Road Safety Coordination Group to replace the long-standing Road Safety Council of the Northern Territory. Government as part of considering responses to the Road Safety problem in the NT, identified the need for a high level, strategically focused Road Safety Coordination Group. The group was formed in December 2006 and includes senior departmental members from Health, Police and [inaudible] and there are community group representatives including Local Government, TIO, AANT, and importantly, a yet to be appointed a road safety expert. Madam Speaker, the group will take a leadership role in the implementation of the Road Safety Task Force recommendations that were announced by government on the 2 November 2006. As well as focusing on longer term road safety strategies and measures, the group will report regularly to government on implementation of the task force recommendations. I undertake to keep members of this House informed of this progress. I am sure that all members of this Assembly will join with me in sincerely thanking all the past members of the Road Safety Council for their years of tireless efforts in attempting to address the particular road safety problems of the Northern Territory. Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members. I undertake to table the explanatory statement in due course. Debate adjourned. |