The Andrews Labor Government has voted down a proposal by the Liberal Nationals to establish a non-partisan, Joint Select Committee to come up with policies to address the critical issue of Victoria’s 14 year high road toll.
The Liberal National’s proposal is to establish a Committee dedicated specifically to putting politics aside and looking at road safety, drawing its members from both houses of Parliament.
Labor has instead referred an inquiry into Victoria’s road safety crisis to the Legislative Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee – a committee which is already burdened with multiple existing inquiries.
Existing inquiries of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee include an inquiry into the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry and an inquiry into the impact of Animal Rights Activism on Victorian Agriculture, and a new inquiry into public transport in the CBD.
Victoria’s road safety is one of our state’s number one issues but for Labor it’s only a low order priority.
The massive spike in Victoria’s road toll is an issue of critical importance to all Victorians, and should not have been compromised by being pushed off to a busy committee that is already preoccupied with other issues.
Gordon Rich-Phillips MP Roma Britnell MP
Shadow Minister for Roads (Metropolitan) Shadow Minister for Rural Roads