Funding cut to local road safety body

A FUNDING cut to the North East's peak road safety body is expected to reduce its community activities over the next 12 months. Road Safe North East will receive approximately $75,000 to fund its community road safety programs in the 2023/24 financial year, down from around $88,000 the previous year. The funding for the not-for-profit organisation was announced by Minister for Roads and Roads Safety Melissa Horne last Friday, as one of 90 recipients across the state to share in $1.5 million through the State Government's Community Road Safety Grants Program. Road Safe North East executive officer John Weinert said this was the first time the body's funding had been cut, and it will have an impact. "It's disappointing, as this is the majority of our funding...most years it's our only funding, although occasionally we may get some funding from the TAC or Department of Justice," he said. "We understand there has been around a 20 per cent cut across the board, so we're not the only ones affected. "What concerns us though is that with the rising road toll, why would you be looking at cutting funding to road safety? "We've seen a rise in dangerous behaviour on the roads post-COVID, and given the state of some of our roads, more rather than less, needs to be done. "For us, less funding means we'll have to cut back and do less of some of the things we usually do." Road Safe North East's programs with professional presenters include bike safety education in primary schools, road and dirt bike training, learner driver and young driver sessions and public awareness campaigns on driver distraction. Mr Weinert said bike safety education, which was delivered in 35 primary schools in 2022/23, wouldn't be cut. "We will keep all our programs, such as the 'Looking After Your Mates' learner/young driver program in secondary schools, but the frequency may be reduced," he said. "Certainly we'll have less money to support other organised public events." Minister Horne said this year's grants program supported more than 250 initiatives to deliver targeted education programs to tackle road safety issues, in support of the state's aim to halve roads deaths and reduce serious injuries by 2030 and eliminate road deaths by 2050.

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