Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-03-22 Daily Xml

Contents

Red-Light Cameras

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:56): Supplementary question arising out of the minister's answer: does the minister believe that he was driving dangerously when he was caught with six traffic infringements, including driving whilst using a mobile phone?

The PRESIDENT: Can I just say: how does that arise out of the answer?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: The minister talked about safety.

The PRESIDENT: You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. It's not arising out of—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Who is the judge—you or him?

The PRESIDENT: If he wants to answer, he can answer.

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:57): Mr President, I am more than happy to answer it because I've been brave enough to be honest about the indiscretions I've made in the past. I was asked a question on FIVEaa radio about if I've got anything to admit. I was more than happy to admit to the fact that there have been occasions where I've received a speeding fine. I'm not hiding that. Am I proud of that? Absolutely not.

To answer your question directly, which I'm more than happy to do, do I think that that behaviour should be happening? Of course not. When anyone speeds, of course they are jeopardising the safety of other road users, which is why we don't want to be speeding, which is why no-one should be speeding. Do I think that I am infallible? No. Do I think that people opposite are infallible? Of course not, which is why we have to be diligent about policing speeding and we have to be diligent about policing people who run red lights. And I for one hope that I have learnt my lesson so that when I am driving around in the community I learn my lesson, don't seek to pay any more fines and drive safely.

Of course when people speed, of course when people are running red lights, they are not engaging in safe driving, which is why we need to stamp it out, which is why we need to do things to police it, which is why, when people opposite start throwing around words like 'revenue raising', they think they are scoring a few political points, but all they are really doing is undermining people's confidence in a very important tool to make sure that our roads continue to remain safe.