Road Traffic (Helmets) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 28 September 2017.)

Mr KNOLL (Schubert) (11:10): In concluding the debate on this bill, I urge the government to support what we think is an extremely commonsense amendment—

The SPEAKER: If the honourable member speaks, he closes the debate.

Mr SNELLING: I will move that the debate be adjourned.

Mr KNOLL: I am on my feet.

The SPEAKER: I do not think we can entertain that now that I have let the member for Schubert start. If the member for Playford wished to contribute to the debate, that would be another matter.

Members interjecting:

Mr KNOLL: That's what happens when you are given the call.

The SPEAKER: The member for Playford has a point of order.

Mr SNELLING: Mr Speaker, if you are giving me the call, whether I am adjourning the debate or giving a speech should not make any difference.

The SPEAKER: Yes, the member for Playford is, of course, intellectually correct, but this is more a fairness principle. I have given the member for Schubert the call, he is closing the debate, away we go.

Mr KNOLL: In closing the debate on this, this is an extremely simple amendment. It seeks to remove a grey area that currently exists in that people who ride motorcycles, bikes, trikes and any other manner of vehicle that requires a helmet currently have a grey area where the affixing of a camera or a bluetooth device to the external shell of the helmet can be considered illegal. It depends on what we are referencing, and whether or not the attaching of a camera to the helmet actually renders the Australian standard certification of the helmet invalid.

Certainly we have had a case where a South Australian who was wearing a camera was fined, or at least formally cautioned and told that next time there would be a fine. We think that, for a whole host of reasons, from improved safety, improved compliance on the road to improved ability to prosecute road traffic violations, this is a sensible amendment. We have ensured that what we are seeking to do matches what already happens in ACT, so it already exists in an Australian jurisdiction, so there is nothing here that we are doing that has not otherwise been tried and tested in an Australian environment.

The amendment itself refers to a frangible mounting, which essentially means that the affixing of the camera cannot break the outer layer of the helmet, therefore ensuring that the integrity of the helmet is maintained. We know that minister Malinauskas had carriage of this and was in favour of doing something. In fact, this bill has been in parliament now for four months, so the government has had ample opportunity to get together and look at what they think they should do.

Minister Malinauskas did say that he wanted to see reform in this area. We have done the hard work, and it is on the table. This is sensible, it is common sense and, if the government chooses not to support this today, it will be simply because they do not want to support a very sensible amendment by the opposition. It will be a sad day and it will frustrate the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, of riders in South Australia who are looking to keep themselves safer and feel more comfortable on our roads.

We know that they are at greater risk when they are on our roads; they are much more likely to crash. Especially this year, when we have seen a massive increase in the number of motorcycle deaths on our roads, anything we can do to help improve safety and improve compliance on our roads can only have a positive effect. The government spruiks Towards Zero Together at every opportunity. This is an example of us moving potentially one inch closer to zero together. This is something that should be bipartisan, it should be above party politics, and I look forward to the government supporting this amendment.

Bill read a second time.

Committee Stage

In committee.

Clause 1 passed.

Mr SNELLING: I move:

That progress be reported.

The committee divided on the motion:

Ayes 22

Noes 17

Majority 5

Progress thus reported; committee to sit again.