Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the First and Second World Wars, over 100,000 Australians lost their lives; every single death a tragedy leaving behind grieving families and friends. Since the end of the Second World War, over 150,000 Australians have lost their lives on roads. We've lost 50 per cent more Australians since World War II than we lost in World War I and World War II combined. Although the number of fatalities has been falling since 1970, when 3,780 Australians lost their lives, to this year, where it is down to 1,225, to have over a thousand Australians losing their lives on the roads every year is simply unacceptable. As parliamentarians, we need to do everything we can to work to reduce that road toll. There is one thing that we can do. The statistics show that new cars are safer. One of the best ways to get the road toll down is to make it more affordable for motorists to get into new cars. I call on all parliamentarians on both sides of this House to join together to get rid of those remaining taxes on motoring. Get the cost of motoring down in this country, because that will save lives.