Correspondence between Kim Bax and Peter Beattie in regard to seatbelts on school buses
Peter Beattie - MP for Brisbane Central & Premier of Queensland (ALP). Click on the picture to email him.
Me - Kim Bax. Click on the picture to email me.
Peter Beattie's reply to my questions of 22nd January 2004, received on the 30th January 2004
My reply - and further questions - that I sent Peter Beattie on the 31st January 2004
On the 2nd March 2004, I got a response from Mr. Beattie
On the 3rd of March 2004, I got an acknowledgement from Peter Beattie's Office
My brief response to Peter Beattie's acknowledgement of 3rd March 2004 - sent on 3rd March 2004
Peter Beattie's reply to my questions of 22nd January 2004, received on the 30th January 2004 (TOP)
Dear Ms Bax
Thank you for your email of 22 January 2004 about seat belts on school buses and progress on implementing recommendations made by the Queensland School Transport Safety Task Force. The Premier has noted your comments and asked me to respond on his behalf
The Beattie Government has identified the safety of students travelling to and from school as one of the most important issues for both parents and communities.
The School Transport Safety Task Force delivered its final report to the Government in September 2001. The Government set up an Interdepartmental Working Group (IWG) to examine the policy, operational and financial implications of the Task Force recommendations. The IWG submitted a report to government which provided a series of recommendations based on the ideas put forward by the Task Force.
These recommendations included trials of 30km/h school zones, seat belts on school buses, and a community engagement program to encourage ownership of school transport safety in the community. There were also a number of education and bus-related recommendations. In response to this report the government approved $4.63M funding in 2002/03 to commence the interdepartmental working group recommendations, as well as $4.03M per year ongoing funding.
As previously advised, in 2003 a trial of seatbelts on school buses was conducted in response to recommendations made by the independent School Transport Safety Task Force and the Interdepartmental Working Group.
The trial involved fitting ADR68/00 seats and seat belts to 12 school buses throughout Queensland operating on long steep and very steep bus routes – where standing passengers are currently not permitted. The buses involved in the trial were split into either a low, medium or high encouragement group in order to measure the effect of education on seat belt wearing rates and student behaviour in the buses.
The aim of this trial was to identify and develop solutions for a range of legal, behavioural and operational issues.
The evaluation of the trial, which ran for six months, was conducted by the independent transport research organisation ARRB Transport Research.
The taskforce will provide recommendations to the government by April 2004. A re-elected Beattie government will consider these recommendations for implementation.
The School Transport Safety Interdepartmental Working Group has been reconvened to examine the results of the trial and further investigate issues such as legal responsibility and compliance.
Other initiatives implemented as a direct result of the School Transport Safety Task Force include:
· Development of the School Environment Safety Guidelines to help local schools and communities to improve safety around schools;
· Safe Communities Trial to assist school based community groups through facilitating, engaging and observing these groups as they considered transport safety issues in their local community;
· Increased school transport safety public education to improve road safety for children travelling to and from school;
· SchoolBUS (School Bus Upgrade Scheme), which provides $3 million each year to help school bus operators across Queensland progressively upgrade their fleets; and
· Launch and implementation of the Managing Student Behaviour Training Package for school bus operators.
Thank you for taking the time to contact the Premier. He trusts this information is of assistance to you.
Yours sincerely
Rob Whiddon
Chief of Staff
My reply - and further questions - that I sent Peter Beattie on the 31st January 2004 (TOP)
Dear Mr. Beattie,
Thankyou for your email of 30th January 2004.
I'll get straight to the point by briefly reproducing key paragraphs from that email (I've added emphasis to aid comprehension) - and then I will provide you with some key questions. Here goes:-
"The taskforce will provide recommendations to the government by April 2004. A re-elected Beattie government will consider these recommendations for implementation.
The School Transport Safety Interdepartmental Working Group has been reconvened to examine the results of the trial and further investigate issues such as legal responsibility and compliance"
These are my key questions, based on the above quote from your email:-
1. Could you confirm (as implied in your email by the use of the word "consider") - that you are NOT (as yet) committed to implementing the recommendations of the 2001 "Queensland School Transport Safety Task Force" in the 2004/2007 Parliamentary term?
I remind you that the "Queensland School Transport Safety Task Force" (2001), recommended the fitting of seatbelts on Queensland school bus over 15 years (amongst others things).
2. WHO is on the new unidentified "Task Force" referred to in your email?
3. How many new "Task Force's" does it take to simply seatbelt a child on a schoolbus?
4. By WHAT process was this new "Task Force" selected?
5. WHAT is the title of this new unidentified "Task Force"? Or is this unidentified "Task Force" actually "The School Transport Safety Interdepartmental Working Group" that you also refer to? Could you please clarify this point.
6. Could you please assure me that the new untitled "Task Force" referred to in this quote from your email is NOT "ARRB Transport Research" - a commercial organisation, totally unaccountable to community interests and dependent on Government contracts for its commercial survival? Or composed of people having an interest in that organisation?
7. Could you provide me with the contact details and identity of each member of this new "Task Force"?
8. By WHAT process was the membership of "The School Transport Safety Interdepartmental Working Group" decided?
9. Could you please supply me with the contact details and identity of each member of "The School Transport Safety Interdepartmental Working Group."
10. Have you personally read Professor Joubert's letter to myself (of August 2000 - and reproduced on www.geocities.com/seatbelts2004 ), which predicts the potential of 50 dead kids in a school bus accident - and 50 more injured ones? Are you also personally aware of Professor Joubert's background and expertise?
I would point out to you that in the year 2001 a Government convened Task Force recommended the introduction of seatbelts on school buses over 15 years - in the year 2004, that recommendation has now been stretched to 18 years - and if you get round to implementing the recommendation by 2007 (the end of the next term), it will be 21 years.
I note that football stadiums and foot bridges take 3 years.
Please note that the questions above are number 1 through to 10. In your response, could you please answer them in EXACTLY the same way e.g. numbered 1 through to 10.
Regards - Kim Bax (mum) (TOP)
4 weeks later, on the 28th February 2004, Mr. Beattie had still not replied. So I sent him a reminder (TOP)
On the 2nd March 2004, I got a response from Mr. Beattie (TOP)
Mr. Beattie's response of 2nd March 2004 completely avoided all the questions I asked him on the 31st January 2004, so I sent him another email. (TOP)
Dear Mr. Beattie,
My correspondence was sent to YOU, not Mr. Lucas. I was seeking YOUR views, not the views of Mr. Lucas. Actually, that statement is not quite accurate, as I have (in fact), already sought Mr. Lucas's views. My original questions were sent to him on the 22nd January 2004 (as they were sent to you) - and 5 weeks & 5 days later (plus one official reminder notice after 4 weeks), that correspondence has not even been acknowledged by him.
In a nutshell, Mr. Beattie - I sent YOU 10 crucial questions on the 31st January 2004, and as the Premier of this State, I expect YOU to answer them. What's the problem? Are you shrinking from my 10th question? Don't you want to put it writing that you've read Professor Joubert's horrific prediction?
Mr. Beattie - my questions of 31st January 2004 were sent to YOU - and until YOU answer them, they are still outstanding to YOU. As for Mr. Lucas, he's still responsible for the questions I've already sent him. For your convenience, here's a link directly to my questions of 31st January 2004 - I await I reply, along with very many other Queenslanders:-
http://www.geocities.com/seatbelts2004/peter_beattie.htm
Regards - Kim Bax
PS - I have also posted this further correspondence to the above link (TOP)
On the 3rd March 2004, I got this acknowledgement from Mr. Beattie (TOP)
Dear Mrs Bax
Thank you for your message to the Premier. Your message has been forwarded to his office.
Michele Rice
For the Office of the Premier
(TOP)
My brief response to Peter Beattie's acknowledgement of 3rd March 2004 - sent on 3rd March 2004 (TOP)