Queensland Law Society
MEDIA RELEASE
11 January 2001
Attention: Chief Reporters/News Editors
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY CAMPAIGN ACCELERATES
Queensland's lawyers have welcomed new moves in the campaign to upgrade the safety of the State's school buses.
The Queensland Law Society which last month joined the campaign to have every school bus in the State fitted with seatbelts and flashing lights, and a ban on children having to stand in buses, has welcomed the Queensland Police Union's endorsement of the campaign.
Queensland Law Society President Raoul Guides said the Police support and a State Opposition pre-election promise this week to allocate some funding for seatbelts on school buses, showed the objectives of the bus safety campaign were being seriously regarded in the community.
"The police and Opposition announcements confirm this is an important issue in the Queensland community. The QLS does not seek to politicise it. We believe school bus safety is a crucial issue and the growing number of professional groups joining the campaign shows it cannot be ignored," he said.
As well as the QLS, the school bus safety campaign also involves the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers Association and the Queensland Branch of the Australian Medical Association.
Mr. Guides said arguments over the cost of implementing necessary safety measures in school buses were secondary to the value of the lives of Queensland children.
"These children represent our future. It seems ridiculous that seatbelts have been compulsory in cars since 1972, and on interstate buses since 1994, yet there is still no requirement for seatbelts on school buses," Mr. Guides said.
Lawyers felt the cost of upgrading school bus safety should be seen as an investment in Australia's future, rather than a cost, Mr. Guides said.
"Our schoolchildren are consumers without a voice and a vote who are unable to lobby for change, which is why professional bodies like the QLS have stepped in, to give them a voice and highlight the need to improve their safety," he said.
Media contact: David Wilson 3842 5903; mobile 0408 707 251;
Email: d.wilson@qls.com.au ; QLS website: www.qls.com.au
The Queensland Law Society is the professional organisation for the solicitors of Queensland
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