The Federal Government has established a national Office of Road Safety on the recommendation of a 2018 Inquiry.
The establishment of such a national leadership body was one of the key recommendations of the report from the Inquiry into National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020 (NRSS), submitted in September 2018.
The report called for a national road safety entity reporting to a Cabinet minister with responsibility for road safety.
Citing road trauma as a hidden epidemic with a considerable impact on the health system, it also called for the Federal Government to commit to a minimum $3 billion a year road safety fund.
Roads Australia President, David Stuart-Watt, said that the organisation supported the establishment of the Office of Road Safety in its pre-Budget submission to the Federal Government.
“The NRSS Inquiry pinpointed the need for strong leadership at the national level, and this is certainly a step in that direction. The Government deserves congratulations for its response,” he said.
Mr Stuart-Watt also welcomed the Government’s $2.2 billion funding injection across the Roads to Recovery, Black Spot and heavy vehicle safety programs.
“While this is great news for road users, we’d also like to see a specific focus on initiatives to address the safety of road workers and first responders,” he said.
“Our front-line road workers and responders put their lives on the line every day, and we need to ensure we’re doing everything possible to minimise the risks they face in looking after our road networks and the lives of road users.”
