We are tuning in to budget estimates in the upper house this morning, and the topic of road safety has come up, with 126 deaths recorded in WA this year – the worst in a decade.
Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner has been asked about the auditor general’s 2023 report on the Commission, and a recommendation for a framework on the use of the Road Trauma Trust Account.
WA Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner.
That framework will be finalised ahead of next year’s state budget, which will be three years after the recommendation was made.
Warner was asked: “It’s concerning that two budgets have been handed down with no confidence in how the money is being spent, and this, and we have this horrific road toll.
“Why has it taken so long for the framework to be completed?”
“The auditor general found no evidence that money was not being spent on road safety.,” Warner replied.
“There is one item, as I think you might be referring to, which is, goes to the prioritisation of, if you’ve got an extra dollar, where do you spend it and why?
“That is the challenge for the Road Safety Council.”
He said the council had many different agencies involved and so while “we have broad agreement on priority areas, we still don’t yet have that finer detail.”
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