FLEET VEHICLES

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:34): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Road Safety a question about fleets.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: A 2007 study by researchers at Queensland's CARRS-Q research centre states that, as over half the new vehicles sold in Australia are for commercial or government use, Australian governments and organisations are 'in a unique position to implement policy that could help them to influence both manufacturer priorities and, in the longer term, the safety of the national fleet'.

In March this year, the Australian Automobile Association called on state and territory governments to ensure that their vehicle fleets contained the latest safety technologies. That month, The Advertiser revealed that, on average, South Australian public servants crash seven government vehicles every day. My questions to the minister are:

1. What is the government's policy on South Australian government vehicles having a five star ANCAP rating?

2. Is the government taking any action to encourage local manufacturers to achieve five star ratings on cars supplied to the South Australian government?

3. Will the government consider requiring a five star vehicle rating for all fleet tenders and contracts?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:35): I thank the honourable member for his question.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: He disrupts every day. Throw him out!

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway is not helping.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: The Hon. Russell Wortley is right when he says that they are a rabble today—I think they may have an audience. Certainly the Rann government is playing its part in contributing to this very important road safety initiative through its financial commitment to and involvement with ANCAP. For the information of the chamber, ANCAP stands for Australian New Car Assessment Program. I am aware that the Hon. Dennis Hood previously has expressed concern about the rating of new vehicles. All new vehicles sold in Australia are required to meet national standards for vehicle design and safety, but beyond these requirements manufacturers are able to build into their vehicles higher standards of engineering and safety. Particular attention to detail in design in the introduction of new technology by manufacturers can significantly increase the safety of vehicles during crashes, and that is not in dispute.

ANCAP fulfils a key role in improving the safety of new light vehicles sold in Australia, and the results of ANCAP crash testing serve two major purposes: first, it gives information to new car buyers on the level of occupant protection provided by vehicles in serious front and side impacts, and buyers are therefore able to seek out those vehicles. Essentially it is market driven but has high levels of safety. Secondly, that assessment places pressure on manufacturers to achieve higher levels of safety in their vehicles. The possibility of publicity associated with poor crash tests encourages manufacturers to pay more attention to the performance of vehicles in crashes and to conduct their own crash tests before models are released to the public.

During the life of ANCAP the safety star ratings achieved by vehicles crash tested have improved significantly, and this is due in part to the program itself and the publicity it gains. I have been involved on at least one occasion recently that I can think of where those results were made public, otherwise the department is involved, as is the RAA. Crash test results are now widely available and receive coverage by the media when new groups of tests are released. Results are available on the internet and are widely distributed in pamphlets, and an increasing number of consumers expect their vehicles to have either a four star rating or the maximum rating of five stars.

In the past few years we have seen that the number of four or five star vehicles available in Australia has risen significantly since the ANCAP program began. Crash testing protocols used by ANCAP are standardised internationally, so that tests from the testing programs in other countries are consistent. That means that crash test results from another country are applicable to the particular model if it is sold in Australia, without the need for ANCAP to repeat the testing. ANCAP publicises these results from overseas, along with its own crash testing results in Australia.

ANCAP is funded jointly by the Australian state and New Zealand road authorities as well as Australian and New Zealand motoring organisations and the international FIA Foundation. The Rann government plays its part in contributing to this very important road safety initiative.