Latest news with #TransportAccidentCommission
The Age
6 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Victoria pockets another $1 billion from the TAC
The Transport Accident Commission will deliver Victoria another billion-dollar windfall this year, an $800 million improvement on forecasts in last year's budget. The Allan government insists the TAC remains financially sustainable as it receives its second dividend above $1 billion in as many years and forecasts a similar payment in 2029. But the opposition has criticised the move as it lowers the commission's insurance funding ratio, from well above its target to the middle of the range. State budget papers show that in the 2024-25 financial year, the state government will receive a $1.13 billion dividend from the Transport Accident Commission, up from forecasts of $300 million in the last budget. Loading It is the second billion-dollar payment to come from the TAC in as many years after then-treasurer Tim Pallas requested a $1.08 billion dividend in 2023-24 which was approved. The treasurer has the power to request a dividend or 'capital repayment' from the insurer, after consultation with the organisation and TAC minister. The most recent dividend means the Victorian government has now received $2.87 billion from the TAC since 2019, including capital repayments of $255 million in that year and $400 million in 2022. The budget is also forecasting another $1.15 billion dividend in 2028-29, revising previous estimates that would have delivered yearly contributions in the hundreds of millions.
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Young drivers mimic risky parent phone use behind the wheel
It's no secret children copy their parents. They watch, they learn and they do. But what happens when what they're learning is a dangerous driving habit? A new road safety study has revealed teens are far more likely to use mobile phones behind the wheel if they've seen mum or dad do the same. Children who observe their parents taking photos or videos while driving are nearly five times more likely follow suit. Even hands-free usage is having an impact, with young drivers 140 per cent more likely to adopt the behaviour. If parents are seen to be texting while driving….well, their children are 187 per cent more likely to do the exact same thing. Road Safety Education Australia general manager Maria Lovelock explained the numbers were 'not entirely unexpected'. 'Through our Ryda program, we've been tracking concerning patterns in road safety attitudes across generations,' she said. 'What's particularly striking is how the data reinforces what we've observed in our workshops – that safety behaviours are heavily influenced by what young people witness during their formative years' The findings come amid a growing concern over mobile phone usage behind the wheel. In Victoria, the Transport Accident Commission revealed that 52 per cent of drivers use their mobile phone while driving. Surprisingly, Lovelock said the most dangerous habit wasn't texting but the 'quick check' of notifications while driving. 'Parents often justify these moments as necessary or harmless, but they establish a pattern that young drivers then replicate, often with more severe consequences due to their inexperience behind the wheel,' she said. Despite hands-free use being legal, Lovelock said it does deserve more scrutiny. 'I believe we need to follow the evidence. Current research strongly indicates that the cognitive distraction of phone conversations, even hands-free, significantly impairs reaction time and hazard perception,' she said. 'At RSE, we're advocating for a comprehensive approach that recognises all forms of distraction – physical, visual and cognitive – as significant road safety issues requiring attention in both policy and education.' Road Safety Education (RSE) head of program delivery John Elliott said while the research revealed an 'uncomfortable truth', there is hope. 'The data clearly shows that when young people observe their parents using phones while driving, they're dramatically more likely to normalise and ultimately replicate these behaviours,' he said. 'Encouragingly, over 95 per cent of Ryda students indicated they were likely to use, or have already started using, Ryda strategies for managing phones while driving, including switching on do-not-disturb mode or switching the phone off completely, and keeping it out of sight in the glove box.' Elliott warned that parents need to be aware of their actions. 'Parents need to understand that every time they reach for their phone, they're not just putting lives at immediate risk - they're programming future driving behaviours that could have consequences for decades,' he said.
News.com.au
23-04-2025
- News.com.au
Slater and Gordon reach settlement with Ryan Meuleman over 2013 crash with Dan Andrews' vehicle
A cyclist left injured after a collision with former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' car more than a decade ago has agreed to settle a lawsuit against his former law firm. Ryan Meuleman launched legal action against Slater and Gordon alleging it failed to act in his best interest when negotiating an $80,000 compensation settlement with the Transport Accident Commission. Mr Meuleman, who was 15 at the time, was seriously injured in January 2013 after colliding with the then-Labor opposition leader's Ford Territory, which was being driven by his wife Catherine at Blairgowrie. Mr Andrews and the couple's three children were in the car at the time. The family have consistently denied any wrongdoing, and no charges were laid following an investigation by Victoria Police. Mr Meuleman spent 11 days in hospital after the crash. He has alleged the car struck him, while the Andrews' have repeatedly insisted the cyclist crashed into their car. On Wednesday, Mr Meuleman's lawyer, Marcus Clarke KC, confirmed the lawsuit had been settled after Ryan received a confidential offer 'too good to refuse'. Details of the settlement are confidential, however, in a statement, Mr Meuleman said it felt incredible to be 'supported and believed'. 'For years, I never thought I could get here, where people are listening and want to know what really happened,' he said. 'I've got a bit of work to do on myself, and I can now afford some counselling which Mum and Dad reckon will be worth it. But to be honest, I feel good anyway, just knowing people care.' Mr Meuleman has previously suggested he could launch defamation action against the Andrews family to pursue the truth of what happened that day, saying they 'should have owned up to it years ago'. Mr and Mrs Andrews were not party to Mr Meuleman's case against Slater and Gordon. How police handled the investigation was later subject to a probe by the independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) which found there were no 'deficiencies or areas of concern' in 2017. After Mr Andrews' triple-0 call following the collision was made public late last year, the former Victorian Premier and his wife released a joint statement maintaining 'we did nothing wrong'. 'This matter has been comprehensively investigated over many years by Victoria Police Professional Standards Command and IBAC,' they said. 'While we are sorry that the cyclist was injured in the accident, we did nothing wrong.'
Sky News AU
23-04-2025
- Sky News AU
Teen cyclist involved in near-fatal crash with Daniel Andrews' family SUV ends legal battle with Slater & Gordon in quiet settlement weeks before trial
The then-teenage cyclist who was gravely injured in a near-fatal collision with Daniel Andrews' family SUV has secured a quiet settlement with law firm Slater & Gordon just weeks before a trial was set to begin. Ryan Meuleman, then 15years-old, was hospitalised in January 2013 following a harrowing collision with the Andrews' family SUV while he was riding his bike in the Victorian beachside suburb of Blairgowrie. Mr Andrews, who was the Victorian opposition leader at the time, was in the front passenger seat of the family's Ford Territory, which was being driven by his wife, Catherine. The couple have both insisted the vehicle came to a 'complete stop' before turning right and being 't-boned' by Ryan's bike. But a review by a former Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner, Dr Raymond Shuey, commissioned by the Meuleman family, determined the SUV had likely been 'travelling at speed' and had cut the corner before striking the bike, accusing Victoria Police of engaging in 'an overt cover-up to avoid implicating a political figure in a life-threatening crash'. Labor-aligned law firm Slater & Gordon secured an $80,000 compensation payment from the Transport Accident Commission for Ryan, but his parents maintain neither of them reached out to the law firm to represent their son. The lawsuit against Slater & Gordon accuses the firm of not conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash, as well as failing to act in Ryan's best interests and breaching its duty of care when negotiating the $80,000 payment. Ryan's dad, Peter Meuleman, who has vigorously fought for his son throughout the more than a decade-long saga, previously said Ryan "didn't count for anything to them". "He was treated like he was disposable... He was just a political problem to them," Mr Meuleman said. Ryan's barrister, Marcus Clarke KC, confirmed to on Wednesday the case with Slater & Gordon had been settled outside of court, just weeks before it was due to be heard before the Supreme Court. Mr Clarke told the Herald Sun: 'In the end he received an offer too good to refuse'. Ryan suffered severe injuries in the collision, including a punctured lung, broken ribs and internal bleeding, spending 10 days in hospital. In the triple-0 audio, Mr Andrews can be heard requesting an ambulance to the corner of Ridley Street and Melbourne Road in Blairgowrie, near a bike path. "We've turned right into Ridley Street and a kid's come flying through on the bike path and we've hit him," Mr Andrews told the triple-0 operator. "He is conscious, but he's in a lot of pain." Despite admitting to the emergency dispatcher 'we've hit him', Mr Andrews then signed a statement at Springvale Police Station on February 5, 2013 that read: "I want to make it clear - the cyclist hit our vehicle". However, a court battle between the Meuleman family and the couple still looms, the latter being served with concerns notices in January – the first step in a potential defamation claim. The concern is in relation to comments made by the premier and his wife in a joint statement following the Shuey review. 'This so-called report was commissioned by lawyers on behalf of their clients who are seeking money through the courts by suing their former lawyers. We did nothing wrong,' the couple said in a joint statement. 'This matter has already been comprehensively and independently investigated and closed by Victoria Police and integrity agencies. We will not dignify these appalling conspiracy theories by commenting further at this time.' Slater & Gordon has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Millions warned over push to reduce suburban speed limits to 30km/h
Speed limits could be slashed to just 30 kilometres an hour in areas commonly visited by children before being more broadly rolled out to a majority of suburban streets, under a new proposition aimed at increasing safety for both drivers and pedestrians for millions of Aussies. Infrastructure Victoria — the independent advisory body that provides advice and guidance on infrastructure planning, strategy, and investment in the state — will on Tuesday hand down its 50 priorities for the government to meet housing, transport and health needs for its rising population. Among them, it has suggested speed limits in areas frequently attended by kids should be reduced to 30 km/h, citing the fact that seven children die on Victorian roads each year, in addition to the approximately 300 that are seriously injured — mostly on local streets with 50km/h speed limits. Infrastructure Victoria chief executive Dr Jonathan Spear cited the fact that a pedestrian struck by a car traveling at 50km/h has an 85 per cent chance of dying. However, at 30km/h, the risk drops to 10 per cent, he said. Under the proposal, the reduction would first take place at school zones before being more widely rolled out, also turning suburban streets into 30km/h zones. It's a push that road safety experts have also called for in many other parts of the country, particularly on regional roads where default limits remain comparatively, significantly higher than in other parts of the world. In many local government areas around Australia, including in Victoria, councils have already adopted reduced speed limits to protect residents. In Melbourne, the City of Yarra, for example, rolled out a trial of 30km/h zones across local streets — excluding major arterial roads — in Fitzroy and Collingwood last year. Local government areas in other major cities including Sydney, Adelaide and the Gold Coast have also introduced similar limits, with more dabbling in the idea or actively in consultation phases. Dr Spear argued that reducing speeds from 50 to 30km/h on local streets has a minimal impact on travel time but can "significantly" reduce fatalities and serious injuries. According to Transport Accident Commission data, 48 pedestrians and 12 cyclists lost their lives in road accidents in the state last year. Older Victorians face a higher risk of fatal traffic accidents — a statistic mirrored around the country — while road trauma remains a leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 14. Infrastructure Victoria's draft strategy states that work on 43 recommendations should commence within five years. It also outlines seven longer-term "future options". RELATED: Older drivers 'exposed' on Aussie roads amid major shift Infrastructure Victoria recommended the government collaborate with councils to implement the change on all streets with speed limits of 50km/h or lower. It called for a start first in areas near schools, playgrounds, childcare centres, and kindergartens, which Spear said are often close to residential areas. Infrastructure Victoria estimated the cost of reducing speed limits would be between $35 and $45 million. This would involve installing new signage, while the government could further enhance the benefits by improving footpaths and adding crossings, the advisory body suggested. Renewed calls for major road rule change that could affect millions Aussie town makes major speed limit change in growing national trend Millions of drivers face major road rule change: 'No longer viable' Dr Lauren Pearson, from the Sustainable Mobility and Safety Research Group at Melbourne's Monash University has already backed the push, dubbing it "the most cost-effective interventions we can use to enhance the safety and liveability of local streets". She pointed to cities overseas that had big success by doing the same thing. "We have seen the effect of these speed zones in places such as Wales, Canada, Scotland, Colombia and across Europe," she said. "In Toronto, Canada, there was a 67 per cent reduction in serious injuries following implementation of 30 km/h speed zones. Similarly in London, fatal and serious injuries dropped by 46 per cent in areas with 30 km/h speeds, with a further 8 per cent reduction in adjacent areas. "Yet, here in Australia, we're well behind." Governments are facing mounting pressure to take bold action to reduce road fatalities in Australia, as new data reveals the death toll has been rising in recent years at a pace not seen since 1966. Research conducted by the the federal Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) showed 1,300 people died on Australian roads in 2024 — up from 1,258 in 2023. It's reflective of a four-year period of surging deaths our roads, which has not occurred since before seatbelts were made mandatory in the '60s. A total of 359 people died in the three months to the end of December last year. This grim statistic made 2024 the deadliest year on Australian roads since 2012, which also recorded 1,300 fatalities. The data further revealed that last year's road toll was 18.5 per cent higher than in 2021, the year a 10-year plan to halve road deaths was launched. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
