Today’s announcement of an additional $2.2 billion in road safety funding will help save lives and enable the delivery of important safety initiatives, Australian Trucking Association (ATA) Chair Geoff Crouch said today.
The ATA represents the 50,000 businesses and 200,000 people in the Australian trucking industry and has welcomed today’s announcement that the Australian Government will commit an additional $2.2 billion to fund road safety initiatives.
“Today’s announcement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg outlines a commitment to delivering practical solutions that will improve safety outcomes on our roads,” Mr Crouch said.
“The ATA has long called for additional resources to implement life-saving initiatives, and this funding commitment is a step in the right direction,” he said.
The $2.2 billion will deliver $274 million for heavy vehicle safety and rest areas, an additional $1.1 billion under the Roads to Recovery program, and a further $12 million for road safety innovation.
A new Office of Road Safety will be established, which will lead key road safety priorities, working closely with state, territory and local governments.
The announcement follows discussions the ATA has held with Deputy Prime Minister McCormack and a meeting with Treasurer Frydenberg, which brought trucking industry leaders together to share their views and discuss key industry issues.
It also follows an ATA submission into the Inquiry of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Road Safety Strategy.
“In our submission, the ATA called for an independent national agency that would provide policy advice to strengthen the national focus on improving road safety. The establishment of this body is welcome news,” Mr Crouch said.
“We’re also pleased to see a commitment to improving heavy vehicle rest areas and research initiatives, issues the ATA has passionately advocated for and highlighted in the submission,” he said.
Mr Crouch says the ATA made 19 recommendations to the inquiry, and that it was encouraging to see the Government consider some of these in developing the budget.
“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility and we all have an important role to play. This funding announcement shows a willingness to take proactive action,” he said.
