Canberra drivers will be more likely to be nabbed for speeding when two new mobile speed cameras are rolled out in a bid to improve safety on the ACT's roads.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The ACT government has announced it will spend $2.1 million on two new mobile road safety cameras, four extra camera operators and an adjudication umpire in a move expected to glean $3.6 million in revenue over the next four years.
That will be on top of a $4.4 million spend over the same period to streamline and hasten the processing and review of traffic camera speeding fines.
Road Safety Minister Shane Rattenbury on Tuesday said the new cameras were "a very deliberate strategy" to deter speeding drivers and improve road safety, with improved software to help the government better track fines and close debts.
"This is a tax you don't have to pay if you don't speed," Mr Rattenbury said.
The new cameras were among a suite of community safety measures in this year's budget, including boosted ambulance and emergency communication measures.
For ACT Policing, there was a promise for more than $3 million for enhanced security measures, including better personal protective equipment and extra protective service officers.
Tuggeranong residents are expected to benefit from a previously announced $2.8 million over two years for a new emergency services hub at Calwell. There will also be upgrades to ACT Fire and Rescue's Fyshwick station and the ACT Rural Fire Service's Guises Creek station.
There will also be extra funds to upgrade the ACT Emergency Services Agency's online communication services and help implement a national, telephone-based emergency warning system.
More than $5 million over four years will boost the capacity of the ACT's emergency call centre, fund a non-emergency patient transport vehicle and a new SouthCare rescue helicopter.
About $62 million will this year go towards the already-underway $160 million facelift of the ACT law courts precinct in the next financial year.
The government will continue to spend millions on legal proceedings linked to a looming potential retrial of David Eastman over the alleged murder of ACT police chief Colin Winchester in 1989.
More than $3.3 million for the case has been set aside for the Director of Public Prosecutions and ACT's court system, as well as $1.7 million for Legal Aid, in the coming year.
Inmates and staff at the newly-expanded Alexander Maconochie Centre will receive funds for improved plumbing systems and more than $1 million to expand the jail's laundry to provide extra employment opportunities for detainees.
Another $1.14 million will this year fund the continuation of the government's extended Throughcare program to help offenders transition into the community and drive down the ACT's traditionally high recidivism rates.
