SA Government to close down Motor Accident Commission from July 2019

TREASURER Rob Lucas says closing the Motor Accident Commission will save up to $3 million a year, but the RAA warns the move could torpedo improved road safety and risk “more senseless loss of life”.

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TREASURER Rob Lucas says closing the Motor Accident Commission will save up to $3 million a year, but the RAA warns the move could torpedo improved road safety and risk “more senseless loss of life”.

Declaring the closure an “inevitable consequence” of the last government’s decision to privatise the commission’s insurance arm in 2014, Mr Lucas said it would shut in July next year. RAA spokesman Charles Mountain warned the closure came at a crucial time, just as the road toll had started to fall significantly.

SA Police and other agencies are expected to pick up the MAC’s duties from July next year, including road safety campaigns and partnerships, which Mr Lucas said would save $2 million to $3 million each year.

The Motor Accident Commission's campaign targeting drink drivers by telling them to "grow up".

“It (those savings) is not the driving force behind this,” he said.

“It is obviously one of the benefits but it’s the Government’s view that this was one of the inevitable consequences of the former government’s decision.” Mr Lucas, pictured, said all MAC’s total current funding, around $11 million, would be maintained for advertising, research, partnerships and sponsorships.

But Mr Mountain said dividing MAC’s role of overseeing road safety in SA between multiple agencies “would result in no single government body having responsibility for a vital area of public safety — road safety”. “At a time when we’re looking to consolidate the reduction in Adelaide’s road deaths and push for a similar fall in regional SA, we risk going backwards and seeing more senseless loss of life on our state’s roads,” he said.

“RAA will be actively monitoring the effectiveness of the government’s decision to disband MAC and divide up its responsibilities across government entities.”

“Over the coming weeks and months, we will be engaging with State Government to ensure road safety remains at the top of the agenda.”

MAC’s partnerships and sponsorships, such as the rescue helicopter, will be rolled over at their existing levels to June 2020. MAC has produced many advertisements that have left their mark on audiences, including a commercial depicting “creepers” — ordinary drivers who morphed into the driving dead.

MAC chairman Dr Bill Griggs said he hoped current staff would continue to be involved in road safety campaigns in the future.

“I’m very proud of the work that all of the people at MAC have done,” he said.

Mr Lucas said it was the intention to continue road safety campaigns.

As for the backlog of Compulsory Third Party claims, that MAC is still managing despite ceasing writing new CTP insurance policies from July 1 2016, Mr Lucas said the Government would consider whether MAC would continue to manage them or they either go to Treasury or it is sold to a body that manages it on behalf of the state — which he said the then Labor Government indicated it would consider.

If MAC continues to manage the remaining claims, it will be abolished once it clears them.

Opposition treasury spokesman Stephen Mullighan said it was another cut to community safety.

“(It) means there will be less money invested in community safety, no more co-ordinated campaigns and it also means the loss of an organisation that has driven down the road toll,” he said.