1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,119 Speaker 1: But there are fresh calls from the Northern Territory's peak 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: motoring body for the Territory government to do more to 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:10,559 Speaker 1: address the rising death toll on our roads. National data 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: shows a twenty one point six percent increase in road 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,319 Speaker 1: deaths over the last year in the Northern Territory, with 6 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: nineteen lives lost in the past four years. Now joining 7 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 1: us on the line to tell us more is the 8 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: Automobile Association of the Northern Territory's Chief executive, Simon Matthias. 9 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Simon. Hi Katie, great to have 10 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 1: you on the show. Simon. What exactly is the AAANT 11 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: calling for at this point, Well. 12 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 2: What we're asking for, Katie, is that the Territory government 13 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 2: along with all state and territory government, So this is 14 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 2: not just a territory campaign. This is a national campaign 15 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 2: that we're running with all of our interstate counterparts. We're 16 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:05,199 Speaker 2: asking for the the Territory government to provide data around crashes, 17 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 2: the roads and the quality of the roads that the 18 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 2: crashes are occurring on, and also enforcement data. So Territory, 19 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 2: the Territory government collects an awful lot of data around 20 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 2: road crashes and the roads and enforcement and they're not 21 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 2: sharing it, so we're asking them to provide it to 22 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 2: the federal government so that there can be standardized so 23 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 2: that every state and territory government is dealing with the 24 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 2: same data, so that we're creating a bigger data set, 25 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 2: and we're using that data to inform road investment decisions 26 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 2: and enforcement decisions. 27 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: And simon, how will the sharing all that information make 28 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: a difference? 29 00:01:55,040 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 2: Well, if you've got let's reef is it to data sharing. 30 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 2: But it's really around data driven decisions. And the opposite 31 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 2: to data driven decisions is political driven decisions. And I'm 32 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 2: sure all of your listeners, Katie, would prefer that the 33 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 2: decisions that are being made around where we're spending our 34 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:23,360 Speaker 2: money on roads and law enforcement is based on data 35 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 2: rather than rather than maybe politically. We're not suggesting that 36 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 2: that's what the anti government is doing, but we don't know. 37 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 2: We don't know. There's no kind of factual basis being 38 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 2: presented to the public around the decisions on road spending. 39 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 2: And it's something that's occurring across the country, and we 40 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 2: are very confident that if the public have confidence in 41 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 2: the decisions that are being made and confident of the 42 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 2: decis being based on data, then we will see a 43 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 2: reduction in our ROWTI Well, what. 44 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: Makes sense, right, It seems to me like it's it's 45 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 1: it's common sense right around the nation where instead of 46 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: to put it really bluntly and I know, and you 47 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: know I can say it, but rather than pork barreling, 48 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: that we're actually you know, investing in roads that are 49 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: black spots that you know, where we've seen carnage on 50 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: our roads, that we're making sure that we're investing in 51 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: the right locations. 52 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 2: Absolutely, and we all know that pork barreling takes place, 53 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 2: but one area we wouldn't want to see it happening 54 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 2: is where in an area where lives are at state 55 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 2: and and so yeah, this needs to be immune from 56 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 2: from port barreling and politically motivated decision making. And that's 57 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 2: really all we're asking for. We're not we don't think 58 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 2: it's an unreasonable request. The federal government have indicated that 59 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 2: they're willing to work with the states to achieve this, 60 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 2: and then once the once the federal government's got standardized data, 61 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 2: they can share it with other states. Because we're not 62 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 2: we're not just you know, the factors that cause car 63 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 2: accidents in the Northern Territory aren't unique to us vice versa. 64 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 2: So you know, for example, you know in other states 65 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 2: of Australia we've got point to point speed cameras. Is 66 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 2: that working, Is that actually having an effect on reducing 67 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 2: the rod tops? The sort of stuff that we need 68 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:28,919 Speaker 2: to know because I know that the Anti government is 69 00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 2: looking at introducing the same thing in the territory, Simon. 70 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: Have other jurisdictions taken this approach of that data sharing, 71 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:41,280 Speaker 1: you know, and has it sort of made a difference. 72 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 2: Well, it hasn't happened yet. So the Queensland, the Queensland 73 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 2: government have agreed, have committed to doing it, which is terrific, 74 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 2: and the New South Wales government, we believe, are on 75 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 2: the verge of agreeing to it. But you know, we 76 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 2: would hate to be I'd hate to see mt being 77 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,039 Speaker 2: the odd one out in terms of cooperating on this 78 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 2: agreement because we just think it's too important and it's 79 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 2: kind of logical, you know, It's not Yeah, that should 80 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 2: be controversial. 81 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: It seems like common sense, Simon, but sometimes we don't 82 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: see that as often as we'd like, I suppose, correct. Yeah, Well, 83 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 1: Simon Mathias, I really appreciate your time this morning. Thank 84 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: you very much for having a chat with us and 85 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: we'll talk to you again soon. 86 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:31,839 Speaker 2: Pleasure Katie, thank you.