NATIONAL COALITION OF SCHOOL BUS SAFETY NEWS 2006

MPs Have Seatbelts on Their Bus - Adelaide, Australia
August 17, 2006

WHILE students have been told they cannot have seatbelts fitted to all school buses, groups of touring MPs are protected by belts in the buses they hire.

In the latest case, five politicians yesterday toured Adelaide's northern suburbs in a 26-seater bus fitted with seatbelts.

Former education minister Trish White, Opposition transport spokesman Martin Hamilton-Smith and backbench MPs Vini Ciccarello, Michael Pengilly and Tom Kenyon were all secured in the leased minibus they used on a Public Works Committee tour.

The double standard was highlighted as the State Government yesterday faced criticism from doctors, parents and road safety experts over its decision on Tuesday to fit only new school buses with seatbelts and ignore the 600 existing government and privately owned buses which do not have seatbelts.

An "embarrassed" Mr Hamilton-Smith said: "Apparently it's good enough for all MPs to travel in buses with seatbelts, but not good enough for all school kids."

Kangaroo Island MP Michael Pengilly described the situation as "bizarre", but government MPs on the bus did not comment.

Despite the Government steadfastly ruling out fitting belts to its existing fleet of 300 buses, Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith last night agreed to investigate fitting seatbelts on the 45 buses bought by the Rann Government since 2002.

Education Department data shows the Government's latest allocation of new school buses - which do not have seatbelts - was made last year.

Of the 20 schools to receive the 24 buses bought at a cost of about $2.4 million, 19 were in regional areas. These included Karkoo Primary School, from which eight students were injured in an Eyre Peninsula bus crash on August 7. Parents of four of the injured children yesterday joined criticism of the Government over its decision to fit seatbelts only to new buses.

At the current average of 11 new buses a year, it will take about 30 years to replace the Government school bus fleet.

Lindy Brook's sons Rhys, 13, and Tyler, 10, were taken to the Women's and Children's Hospital after last week's crash, 25km north of Cummins.

Rhys will today go to school for the first time since the accident.

Mrs Brook said all schools should get buses fitted with seatbelts, especially those in country areas.

"Any child not restrained could be injured in a bus crash," she said. "It seems unfair that some schools get buses with seatbelts, while others don't."

Corey Murnane, whose son Adam, 8, suffered bleeding on the brain, and daughter Charlee, 10, suffered a bruised hip in the crash, said the Government's 30-year timeframe for all buses to be fitted with seatbelts was "not quick enough".

A war of words broke out yesterday between Australian Medical Association state president Dr Chris Cain and Dr Lomax-Smith, as the AMA renewed its calls for compulsory seatbelts on all school buses, including existing buses.

Dr Lomax-Smith criticised the AMA, which on Monday called for compulsory seatbelts on school buses, telling FIVEaa radio yesterday morning that the group "normally goes for evidence-based announcements . . . I think they need a bit of a briefing from the experts".

Dr Cain hit back yesterday afternoon, accusing Dr Lomax-Smith of suffering a case of "sour grapes".

He said the association had received extensive expert advice from national road safety bodies and "there could be no argument about the safety of seatbelts".

Opposition Leader Iain Evans criticised the Government's bus safety package as a "kneejerk" reaction, with "little thought to long-term planning".

MICHAEL OWEN

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