Road Safety

Ms COOK (Fisher) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Road Safety. Can the minister update the house regarding road safety operations this long weekend?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health, Minister Assisting the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse) (14:41): I thank the member for Fisher for her question and acknowledge her interest in road safety, particularly given her background as a retrieval nurse at Flinders Medical Centre. I know she would have seen some horrible things happen on our roads in her time before serving in the house, so I know that she is very committed to improving our road safety.

There are three things happening consecutively and coincidentally this weekend, the October long weekend with the beginning of school holidays, which always presents a risk on our roads, a risk to the public, and we need to make sure that we have a fatality-free long weekend. Unfortunately, that has not happened in South Australia on the October long weekend since 2008. The last October long weekend here, we had two fatalities and 10 serious injuries. That is something we do not want to see happen.

Of course, with every long weekend the roads to holiday spots, whether it be Yorke Peninsula, the south coast or elsewhere across our great state, become busy with people getting out of the city and making holiday plans. But of course we have a couple of other things happening this long weekend as well. I am sure it has come to the attention of you, Mr Speaker, that the Adelaide Crows have made the grand final. I know there are a number of members particularly excited about that. I think even the Premier has got on board.

This, of course, means that we are going to have a significant number of people making the journey from Adelaide or from around South Australia to Melbourne for the grand final next weekend. We are expecting up to 30,000 people to make their way, through various means, to Melbourne. A significant number of them are going to do so via our road network and the Dukes Highway in particular. We know that there will be a significant increase in traffic on that road.

It means that all of us who are using that road will need to take extra care, particularly around taking breaks, as well as watching speed, inattention and using seatbelts and not undertaking dangerous driving. We want to make sure that everybody gets there safely. In addition, there is going to be a significant number of people, hopefully, celebrating a great Crows' premiership this weekend.

Whether they are in Adelaide or across regional South Australia, we know that there is going to be a significant number of people going to grand final parties and, hopefully, enjoying what will be a fantastic and exciting day for our state. We need to make sure that the people who are doing that plan for their trip to and, most importantly, from those parties in pubs and clubs where they will be celebrating, hopefully, that victory. We do not want to see any drink driving or any drug driving on our roads this long weekend.

Because of all of these factors, police today have launched a new Operation Safe Long Weekend. It's going to be running from Friday through to the end of Monday. We are going to see significant increased police presence on our major roads both across regional South Australia and also in our metropolitan area. There is going to be significant increased police presence, there will be visible presence, and we want to take preventative action to make sure that we don't have fatalities on our roads, we don't have serious injuries, and this can be a great long weekend when everyone can celebrate what will be a fantastic, hopefully, Crows premiership without any danger on our roads.