Where are those seat belts on school buses?

You have to take your hat off to the committed people in the Coffs Harbour area who keep reminding our pollies that children (and others) travelling by bus are not x-class citizens who are unworthy of protection. They repeatedly voice concerns for children's safety. Where are our local MPs' voices on this important issue? Of course, they are mute, yet again! 



Letter to the editor (Coffs Advocate, 18 August, 2012)

It is a shocking fact that transport laws do not protect our children travelling to and from school on outdated buses lacking seatbelts on one of the most dangerous sections of the NSW Highway; between Macksville and Urunga.

As someone working at local hospitals, I am only too familiar with the tragic results of motor accidents.

Why is it drivers of cars can be fined for not restraining their children in seatbelts, yet these same children can travel unrestrained at high speeds on school buses?

With buses only needing to comply with Australian Design Rule 58, which was passed in 1986, it is now a matter of urgency to revise this rule, which does not even require padded, high-backed seats, and was never intended to protect pupils from crashes or even sudden braking in high-speed zones.

Children are often forced to stand in the aisles of buses, with no protection at all.

Please voice your concerns to: The Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP, Minister for Transport, email: mailto:office@berejiklian.minister.nsw.gov.au

Judith Kirwood

Image credit: The Daily Examiner

Where does Andrew Fraser, Member for Coffs Harbour, stand on this matter?

A public school teacher in the Coffs Harbour electorate has challenged the local member in relation to the NSW government's hypocritical stance on teachers' salaries

I wonder if our local member Mr Andrew Fraser will be prepared to publicly condemn the teachers of our public schools for taking industrial action next week.

I ask this because I can get no answers as to why, on the eve of a very economically shaky service- cutting state budget, which follows legislation that will freeze all future public school teacher wage increases to below the rate of inflation and removes their access to an arbitration process, there is no such restriction on private school teachers.

I ask, because his supposedly cash-strapped conservative NSW State Government continues to allocate an amount of taxpayers' money each year to private schools which, depending on where they choose to direct it, would allow these schools to pay practically all the wages of their teachers.

I ask because his self-touted fiscally responsible government has imposed no restrictions on private school teacher unions seeking whatever wages they can obtain from their employers as well as assuring them continued access to the Industrial Relations Commission if they need to have their wage disputes arbitrated.

I reckon this is an injustice public school teachers must fight. It's utterly unfair and counter-productive and I'm sure most fair-minded readers would believe so too, or is this what our once egalitarian society has stooped to.

Dick McDermott

Source: Letters, Coffs Coast Advocate, 6/9/11