Motor Accident Commission

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:40): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer outline the government's policy on future road safety campaigns, given the former government's decision to privatise the Motor Accident Commission?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:40): I thank the member for the question, because I think it is an important one. It has attracted some media publicity in recent times, and I do want to place on the public record, clearly and unequivocally, the government's position. There was some recent media publicity when one of the morning presenters on FIVEaa, based on some discussions with the Motor Accident Commission, said:

MAC is clearly of the view that there is a link between its inability to provide any kind of messaging around road safety and the fact that the rate of deaths and injuries on the road has gone up so much. We received this reply when we asked someone from the MAC to come on:

'Sorry, we won't be available to make media comment. Since the Government's decision late last year that MAC would cease its road-safety responsibilities on June 30, 2018 and ultimately shut down, we have not provided any media comment since December last year, with those requests being referred to SAPOL or the Minister. It is disappointing, particularly as it is the removal of a constant road-safety voice and given during this time the road toll has sadly risen, but unfortunately the decision is out of our control.'

This is the end result of the former government's decision to privatise MAC, but putting that to the side, the government has given a clear and unequivocal commitment that all of the existing budget of money that MAC spends on advertising communications, including social media, together with sponsorship and partnerships programs, will be guaranteed into the future. I have given that commitment as the Treasurer and, whilst it will be transferred to South Australia Police and to the road safety sections and associated sections within the planning, transport and infrastructure department, that is a guarantee that the government has given and the Motor Accident Commission is aware of it.

I am disappointed at the comments that I have seen reported from someone within the Motor Accident Commission. We acknowledge that there are some who are unhappy, firstly with the former government's decision to privatise the Motor Accident Commission, and secondly with the fact that the Motor Accident Commission won't continue as a body post the full privatisation commencing on 1 July.

It is correct—and I quote from some recent board papers—that fatalities in the first couple of months this year have been higher than last year in particular. I think there have been 25 fatalities year to date in 2019, compared with 16 in 2018. I note from the same board papers that the serious injuries in that same period, up to 15 March 2019, have actually declined compared to the previous year—113 compared to 137 serious injuries—and that the third measure of road accidents and road safety, which is the number of casualties, has essentially stayed much the same: 1,304 casualties reported and in the previous year, 1,312 casualties reported. Yes, fatalities, very concerningly, have increased, but serious injuries have declined significantly and casualties have stayed about the same.

I do want to place on the public record that, as I said, there is a guarantee that ongoing funding will continue for the road safety message. The Motor Accident Commission has been told two things: one is that we are interested in portraying road safety messages. For example, the MAC Footy Express, which was actually advertising MAC, had to become a road safety message. A number of road safety messages were considered and it eventually became the Game Changer Footy Express, which is consistent with the road safety message that the MAC and others have used with football and others associated with Adelaide Oval.

What we have also indicated is that, on every occasion in the past where MAC may well have been—and this will have to be the case after 1 July as well—involved in terms of press statements or releasing an advertising campaign, either the police or the minister for road safety should be so advised and is able to be part of that road safety message. I congratulate the MAC and the RAA, who had a major road safety message down at the Entertainment Centre earlier this week, with 8,000 senior secondary students at the Entertainment Centre, as well as the minister, SAPOL and everyone, as I understand it, who was associated with that.

Finally, in terms of ongoing messaging in the future, there will be a coordinated group with South Australia Police, who clearly have a very significant role in terms of road safety, and the road safety people within Planning, Transport and Infrastructure working together on a coordinated campaign message for the whole of government.

Finally, the other message is that we have guaranteed not only the quantum of funding, as I indicated earlier, going forward but the partnerships and sponsorships that currently exist have been locked in for 2019-20. The Motor Accident Commission made decisions about changing partnerships and sponsorships as an entity in the past; that is, they might decide to not continue a particular program and to fund another program in its place. The quantum of funding has been guaranteed but, as the MAC had in the past, it may well be in the future that this particular road safety coordinating group may well decide that post 2019-20 some particular programs might be funded and others might not be, but the quantum of funding going into partnerships and sponsorships will be guaranteed.

In concluding, I unequivocally place on the record the view that the road safety messaging will continue and the funding is guaranteed. In no way can anything that has occurred in the first two months of this year be sheeted home either to any reduction in funding or reduction in commitment and effort by the government through SAPOL, through DPTI and through MAC, albeit in a different way, in terms of the road safety messaging.