The Hunter Valley Bus Crash - a focus on bus safety and reform in Australia Webinar 

Registrations

Registrations are now closed.

Should you wish to be added to the waitlist, please contact the team at AITPM.

About this event

This webinar was an informative presentation by John Gaffney on the Hunter Valley Bus Crash which occurred on 11 June 2023 claiming 10 lives and left many with serious lifelong injuries. John has had first hand involvement in the crash, as it occurred following his son’s wedding, and since the crash John has focused his efforts on seeking bus safety reform in Australia. Since the crash considerable progress on bus safety has been realised, particularly in NSW, which other States should consider.

The crash had a devastating impact on the bus occupants, families and friends of those who were on the bus, and first responders (police, paramedics, fire fighters, civilians). The second-round impacts on road infrastructure, the legal system, transport services/providers/users, and local communities will continue to reverberate for years to come.

There has been a spate of recent bus crashes in Australia in recent years, with considerable loss of life and numerous serious injuries. If all vehicles had the same crash outcome as buses the national road deaths would be around 4000 per annum. Bus Safety Reform is urgently needed in Australia, so since the crash John has prepared a Bus Safety Submission with Dr Tony Ockwell, Economic Connections P/L which focuses on bus safety reforms. The submission includes 18 recommendations. John has worked closely with the Federal and NSW Governments, and the Bus Industry Confederation which represents the bus industry in Australia.

Importantly the NSW Government Bus Industry Taskforce extended its “terms of reference” immediately following the crash to include bus safety. The Taskforce has produced a comprehensive report identifying a raft of critical reforms which includes the 18 reforms from John’s submission. A dedicated team is now delivering the package of reforms in NSW. Further reforms are expected when the NSW, Office of Transport Safety Investigation, and the NSW Coroner release their independent reports some time down the track.

The presentation will covered some of these reforms and will challenge our thinking, and the strategic direction required for making road transport safer for all Australians.

Speaker

Join the AITPM members from these organisations who have already registered including: