Legislative Council Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2) 51 2 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Road Safety ROAD SAFETY The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN Legislative Council ROAD SAFETY The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (14:59): Will the Minister for Road Safety inform the council how the South-East community is working together to produce short films that will help spread the state government's road safety message? The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO Legislative Council Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs ROAD SAFETY The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:59): Early this year I launched the South-East road safety strategy, which was developed in partnership with the South-East Local Government Association (SELGA) and the Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure. One of the priority actions of the South-East road safety strategy is the establishment of stronger road safety coordination between SELGA, local councils and the community road safety groups. A community arts project, which has been undertaken in the Upper South-East, is an excellent example of such coordination. Country Arts SA officers at Mount Gambier set up a group to explore possible arts projects and decided that short films would be an ideal vehicle. DTEI has provided funding support of $30,000 for this project. While in the early stages of development, the initiative has already brought together people from a variety of different backgrounds, including Keith Area School, Lucindale Area School and SAPOL. The broad focus of the arts project will be on the perspectives of high school students and the effects of road trauma. Issues identified include drink driving, hoon driving and the perceived invincibility of novice drivers. Students will work in groups under the supervision of an experienced filmmaker to create a series of short films that demonstrate, from their perspective, the effects of road trauma, including the aftermath of a fatality. These films will be judged, and the wining group will work with the filmmaker to produce and launch a final product at a cinema in the South-East. The filmmaking process will involve collaboration with local emergency services, drug and alcohol agencies, and other relevant bodies. As Minister for Road Safety, I am very pleased that this community arts project is connecting young people with road safety issues that are very real for them in a properly supported way, with a range of adults in their local area. Hopefully, the end result will be fewer deaths and trauma from road crashes involving young people in the region. I am confident that the use of the arts will prove to be a powerful tool in spreading the road safety message in the South-East community, especially amongst the young.