Ms O’CONNOR question to MINISTER for INFRASTRUCTURE and TRANSPORT, Mr VINCENT
[2.48 p.m.]
Driver Mentoring Tasmania was formed more than a decade ago as a peak body supporting learner driving mentor programs. They are established to provide support to people who have no personal means to learn to drive, with neither a car, a mentor or the funds to pay for lessons. We hear that Driver Mentoring Tasmania is concerned about its future funding. Without this function there is a clear risk of fragmentation, an increased burden on volunteers and local coordinators and the driver mentoring community, and a reduced responsiveness to local program needs. Has the government made any decision in relation to the funding of Driver Mentoring Tasmania, and are you able to provide any assurance to the Council today that the funding for this important peak body will continue?
ANSWER
Mr President, I thank the member very much for the question. The driver mentoring programs are something that are close to my heart. I’ve been working closely with RACT, MAIB and other members of the road safety advisory panel. I guess, with the mentoring hours that you have to do now – and having seen my granddaughter just go through it, I’m aware of the complexities of it and I feel we probably need more professional advice early in the piece before they go down the road, and we’ve looked at a couple of different systems there. One is a computerised system where, when you go and pass your licence, you can then sit down at a screen with live steering wheel feel and vibration through it, developed by one of the country’s best racing car driver’s partner, I believe, wife; and we are just understanding the viability of that, to be able to give some second hand experience before you go out on the road. It’s been something I have been working on over the last few months and continue to develop. I will have to double check on the part about the driver mentoring program. We were of the opinion that the funding had been taken care of, but I haven’t got anything before me at the moment that can actually confirm that, so I will do that and come back tomorrow with an answer on that program.
Ms O’Connor – Okay. Thanks. Through you, Mr President: in significant part, it’s about the funding for the peak body that has the overarching responsibility for the programs around the state.
Mr VINCENT – I do take on board the importance of the programs and the necessity that not everybody has access to a suitable vehicle in many cases. We’ve had discussions with some of the people federally as well. The federal minister, Kristy McBain, is starting to put together the safety ministers from around Australia again to have regular forums during the year, and in Canberra the other week, she used the example of some people learning to drive in a small car and then when they get back out to the rural property, they’re straight into a Land Cruiser or large style vehicle and not being able to cope with that difference, and vice versa. It’s something we have had a lot of discussion on and will continue to do so. On the driver mentoring program, I will clarify the information and come back to you tomorrow.
