Response to Neil
Roberts MP, from Kim
Bax (Mum) - sent on the 12th February 2004
Dear Neil,
Thankyou for your email of the 11th February 2004.
I am completely shocked at your response. You
seem to believe you have no individual duty to answer, or take a view
on, an issue of vital importance to many of your voters - the lives and
safety of their children.
"The Minister of Transports Office" did not
grant you the privileges and power of being an elected representative -
the people of Nudgee did that, and it is to them you are responsible.
In my view, "sloughing off" (so to speak), YOUR
responsibilities to "The Minister of Transports Office"demonstrates
a serious lack of concern (and interest in), this issue. I will
elaborate.
Professor Peter Joubert HEADED the committees
following the Grafton/Kempsey horror bus crashes (52 dead - many more
horribly injured). He formulated ALL the Australian Design Rules
(interstate coaches), and was awarded the Order of Australia for his
services to engineering. This foremost authority predicts the
potential of 50 dead kids and 50 mutilated ones in a school bus
crash. Are you seriously telling me that you REFUSE to comment
on whether or not you have read
this key correspondence?
I have also asked whether or not YOU
support the recommendations of the "Queensland School Transport
Safety Task Force" (including their recommendation to fit
seatbelts on school buses over a 15 year period) - and I have asked
what YOU intend
to do to promote its implementation. My inquiry was
directed at YOU - and you should
have enough integrity and intelligence to answer on your own
behalf (I assume).
Perhaps you may wish take some advice from
Warren Pitt - the ALP State member for Mulgrave. This gentleman
takes the issue of safety on his local school buses so seriously that
he rang me at home quite recently (around 8pm - after an exhausting
day in his electorate). He spent some time on the phone.
He's extremely concerned - but then, I suppose he would be. He's
an ex-teacher (as you probably know) - and he experienced first-hand
what it's like for a local community to pull 8 dead kids out of school
bus, and 12 mutilated ones. Gordonvale, Mulgrave electorate -
1987 (in case you've forgotten). Mr. Warren Pitt is obviously
not satisfied with delegating his responsibilities to "The
Minister of Transports Office.".
I am co-ordinating a Queensland wide campaign to
improve school bus safety. As part of this lobbying, I am
seeking feedback from every member
of the State Parliament on this issue.
I assume Nudgee is in the State of Queensland - and the
children in Nudgee use school transport?
I look forward to some further
correspondence from you - correspondence that (hopefully), does not seek
to avoid the three reasonable (and hugely important), questions I sent
you on the 22nd January 2004 - questions which are of key concern
to many members of your electorate (judging from the interest I've
received from your local media).
Regards - Kim Bax (mum)
PS - perhaps it might help, in your next reply, to
number the answers to my 3 original questions "1, 2 and 3"
respectively. This would avoid any confusion about what has -
and has not - been answered. It would provide clarity and focus.
