Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party says the state’s roads will be safer if more Victoria Police are authorised to perform roadside drug testing.
The Parliamentary Budget Office has today released a costing to expand drug testing powers to all general duties officers.
The costing was prepared at the Hinch party’s request.
Northern Victorian MP Tania Maxwell said the $28.5 million cost identified by the PBO for the period 2023-2026, plus training costs of $4.9m, was a smart investment that could help reduce the road toll by closing a loophole that stops police from administering an on-the-spot drug test.
If a general duties officer suspects a driver is affected by illegal drugs, they currently have to call in Highway Patrol to administer a test and physically see the offender driving.
Only officers permanently assigned to the Road Policing Drug and Alcohol Section (RPDAS) or an Approved Work Location (AWL) are trained to conduct a Preliminary Oral Fluid Test (POFT) and Oral Fluid Test (OFT).
The Transport Accident Commission reports that in the past five years, 41 per cent of all drivers and motorcyclists killed whose bodies were tested had drugs in their system.
TAC research has also shown that 25pc of Victorians who use recreational drugs admit to driving under the influence. A driver influenced by methylamphetamine – or ‘ice’ – is up to 200 times more likely to have a collision.
Victoria’s two Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party MPs have put their concerns about the incidence of drivers’ increasing drug use to consecutive police ministers in the past two years.
While discussions with former minister Lisa Neville and current minister Anthony Carbines were constructive, the time to expand Victoria Police drug-testing capacity had come.
The Police Association of Victoria and Jeynelle Dean-Hayes, from Geelong, whose son Tyler died after being hit by a drug driver in 2017, back the call.
The PBO estimates the 10-year operational cost of expanded drug-testing capacity would be $217m.
Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission pays on average $170,000 for each road death and $2.25 million for each serious injury (e.g. traumatic brain and spinal injuries).
In the 2021-2022, the TAC paid out $1.54 billion in benefits and compensation to more than 43,000 people.
The Hinch party has also renewed its call for public reporting of police response times, noting it was more than a decade since former Victoria Police deputy commissioner Bob Falconer recommended the change.
Comments by Tania Maxwell MP:
Illegal drug use is present in about one third of all road fatalities, so this investment would improve safety on our roads.
We’ve been raising the issue of drug testing consistently over the past four years, but it’s time for a commitment from the government.
Drug driving is a scourge on our roads and puts the lives of innocent people at risk every day.
The lack of widespread training is affecting police ability to respond, and extending drug testing capacity to all general duties officers means we’ll get more drug-affected drivers off our roads.
We want the current loophole closed so police can respond more quickly and intercept these dangerous drivers.
Comments by Stuart Grimley MP:
Having to radio in Highway Patrol to conduct drug tests is making police operations less productive. We need two cars to conduct one test, taking Highway Patrol away from performing their duty to protect road users.
Police need all possible tools at their disposal to perform their jobs. It took the DHJP four questions and continuous lobbying in parliament by our party and The Police Association Victoria for the government to supply tasers to frontline police, and we are now in the same territory asking for road-side drug tests.
Police won’t use drug tests simply for the sake of using them. DHJP trusts that police officers use their judgement and common sense for the betterment and safety of the community.
