Victoria will soon have Australia’s first independent road safety camera commissioner
September 16, 2011
Victoria will soon have Australia’s first independent road safety camera commissioner after a new legislation was passed through Parliament this week.
The Road Safety Camera Commissioner Bill will introduce a road safety camera commissioner with the responsibility of overseeing the accuracy and fairness of the road safety camera system, including regularly reviewing and assessing the system and reporting annually to Parliament.
It will also investigate matters related to integrity, accuracy and efficiency of the automatic road safety camera system and receive and handle complaints that point to systematic problems regarding the road safety camera network.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Police and Emergency Services Peter Ryan says the commissioner will offer Victorians greater assurance around the integrity of road safety cameras.
“We know that motorists want greater integrity underpinning the operation of road safety cameras in Victoria and the independent road safety camera commissioner will help achieve this,” he says.
“The appointment of a commissioner, which is in the process of being finalised, is among a range of Coalition Government initiatives underway to change the culture of speeding,” Ryan says.
“An investigation by Victoria’s Auditor-General last month found speed and red-light cameras are focused on road safety, not rising revenue. It also found cameras had led to reduced speeding, fewer crashes and less road trauma.”