PM Transcripts

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4~.
PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA 15 AUGUST 1990
The National Road Trauma Advisory Council will meet for the
first time later this year following Government agreement on
detailed arrangements. The Council is a bipartisan initiative
based on a proposal made last year by the Australian Medical
Association, and in particular Sir Dennis Paterson, Head of
Orthopaedic Surgery at Adelaide Children's Hospital.
The Council will allow health professionals and other
community groups to have a direct input into the process for
establishing and reviewing road and vehicle safety standards
and related issues, on a national basis. The advice of the
Council will be invaluable in saving lives on our roads and in
reducing the toll, both in a personal sense and in health and
social security resources, of serious injury.
The main functions of the Council will be to:
assess the major national causes of road trauma in
Australia; advise Governments on policies to reduce road trauma
levels; identify areas of research into road safety
issues; and
identify national solutions to the road trauma
level.
The Australian Medical Association's involvement, and the work
of its officials, has resulted in a rare level of State and
Territory agreement on the establishment of the Council. It
is my Government's hope that this will extend to national
agreement to advice which the Council will provide on road
safety. The Council will liaise closely with relevant Commonwealth,
State and Territory bodies in its work of targeting road
safety and health efforts to areas where maximum reductions
can be made in road fatalities and serious injuries.
It will comprise a maximum of seven members with experience in
the fields of road safety and health. It will report annually
to me and to the Premiers and its reports will be tabled in
Parliament. The Director of the Federal Office of Road Safety
will be the Executive Director of the Council and the
Department of Community Services and Health will be
represented at meetings.
Appointments to the Council will be announced shortly.