[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Greens Move for Parliament Standing Committee on Road Safety_T Morris MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

GREENS MOVE FOR ROAD SAFETY JOINT HOUSE STANDING COMMITTEE

Enhance The Road Safety Council ... and Make Reporting to Parliament
Mandatory

Tim Morris MP
Greens Infrastructure Spokesperson

Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today called for the Road Safety Council (RSC) to
be enhanced by being transformed into a Joint House Standing Committee,
along the same lines as the Road Safety Committee that exists in
Victoria.

Greens Infrastructure spokesperson Tim Morris MP said the current
Tasmanian RSC is limited as it is not representative of all views in
Parliament, it only makes representations to the Minister for
Infrastructure when road safety issues also cover other Departments, and
it has no formal capacity for public input.

Mr Morris also said that a Joint House Standing Committee would make its
representations to Parliament instead of a single government Department
as currently occurs, and that Parliament would be required to respond to
these recommendations within six months.

"Tasmania's RSC would be enhanced by transforming it into a Joint House
Standing Committee that makes recommendations directly to Parliament,
recommendations that Parliament must respond to within six months," said
Mr Morris.

"Given the current road toll, questions arise as to whether the current
RSC has performed adequately to date. At the moment it is severely
limited by its inability to make recommendations to Departments other
than Infrastructure, the lack of a formal capacity for public input, and
the absence of any requirement for government to respond to its
recommendations in Parliament."

"The Joint House Standing Committee would comprise of three
representatives from the House of Assembly, one from each Party, and
three representatives from the Legislative Council."

"At the moment we have the RSC on one hand, we have a Legislative
Council inquiry into road safety on the other, and no formal method of
consolidating these efforts. The best way forward is to enhance the RSC
and transform it into a Joint House Standing Committee," said Mr Morris.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------

Attached: Notice of Motion tabled in Parliament today by Tim Morris MP:

That this House recommends that the existing Road Safety Council (RSC)
be enhanced by being transformed into a Joint House Standing Committee
of this Parliament, along the lines of that which exists in Victoria,
should it receive the concurrence of the Legislative Council, for the
following reasons:

 

1. The RSC only makes recommendations to the Minister for
Infrastructure, whereas road safety issues also cover other departments
as well;

2. The RSC is still not representative of all views represented in the
Parliament as it has no Independent members on it;

3. The RSC does not have a formal capacity for public input;

4. A Joint House Standing Committee would make its recommendations to
the Parliament, not just an individual department;

5. The Government would be required to respond to the recommendations
within six months;

6. For recommendations accepted by the Government, it would be required
to provide progress reports to the Parliament at least annually; 

7. Particular references would be able to be made by, the government,
members of the committee or a motion of either House of the Parliament;
and 

8. That the representatives on this Joint Select Committee are to
comprise three representatives from this House, one from each Political
Party, and three representatives from the Legislative Council. 




Any opinions expressed in this e-mail are those of the individual and not necessarily the Parliament of Tasmania. This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or person responsible for delivering to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this e-mail in error and that any use is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, advise the sender immediately by using the reply facility in your e-mail software.


Warning: Computer viruses may be transmitted or downloaded onto any computer system via e-mail communication. It is the recipient's responsibility to take appropriate action to prevent computer viruses being transmitted In this way. Accordingly the Parliament of Tasmania disclaim all responsibility which arises directly or indirectly from such transmission of computer viruses.