At the request of the Commonwealth Government, governments from across Australia and New Zealand came together today with industry, academia, peak bodies and advocacy groups for a national level crossing safety roundtable in Brisbane.
It was an honour to open the roundtable, which saw productive discussions held to identify priority actions that will drive meaningful and effective improvements to level crossing safety across Australia.
The roundtable planned to discuss prioritising opportunities to harness innovation and new technology to upgrade level crossings to improve safety, as well as the need for a consistent national approach to increasing awareness and education.
These discussions are welcome as the Commonwealth is ensuring that innovative new technologies will be employed in support of high-priority railway crossing upgrades around the country through its $180 million Regional Australia Level Crossing Safety Program.
As part of the Government’s commitment to the National Level Crossing Safety Strategy 2023-32, a national driver education campaign will be introduced this year in support of our zero harm goal at Australia’s level crossings.
Every year, crashes at level crossings result in injuries, loss of life, and significant economic costs. Collisions impact both road and rail users, families and communities.
It’s clear the 23,000 level crossings across Australia present significant risk to rail and road network users and to the resilience of our transport systems.
But we know level crossing safety is a complex issue that requires a range of initiatives to improve safety. This roundtable was a critical step in this journey, bringing stakeholders together to discuss additional actions in support of a safer level crossing future.
I would like to thank the Queensland Government for hosting the event, and the National Level Crossing Safety Committee for an outstanding job in bringing everyone to the table today to discuss this critical issue.
I particularly want to thank Pacific National and the RTBU for their advocacy for this summit, following the tragic deaths of Mick Warren and Kevin Baker on New Year’s Eve, and the participation of Australia’s safety regulators.
The National Level Crossing Safety Committee will continue working together to expedite these actions to improve safety at level crossings throughout Australia.
