Australia’s Parliamentary Secretary for International Development, Bob McMullan MP held discussions in Canberra in June on global road safety issues with David Ward, Director General of the FIA Foundation and Tony Bliss, Lead Road Safety Specialist of the World Bank. The Minister was briefed on the work of the Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility and the recommendations of the Robertson Commission’s Make Roads Safe Report. Minister McMullan expressed his strong interest in the issues and the scope for Australia to play a leading role in road traffic injury prevention.
Last year the Australian aid agency AUS AID became a contributor to the Bank’s Facility supporting a project of the International Road Assessment Programme in Vietnam. Following the meeting with Minister McMullen meetings were also held with senior officials at AUS AID to explore ways of deepening the agency’s engagement with global road safety issues particularly as regards road infrastructure safety issues.
Whilst in Canberra David Ward and Tony Bliss also met with senior officials of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Discussions covered a range of international road safety issues, including vehicle standards, infrastructure assessment, the 2009 UN Ministerial Meeting on Global Road Safety and follow up to the Adelaide APEC Transport Ministers meeting in 2007.