A culture among Victoria’s transport safety staff of ignoring and breaking the laws they are responsible for enforcing has placed the public at risk, an independent parliamentary investigation has found.
The staff, employed by VicRoads, routinely broke speed limits while in their work vehicles without using warning lights and sirens, while senior staff granted colleagues exemptions from fines and demerit points with no rationale for doing so, the Victorian ombudsman, Deborah Glass, has found.
“Not only did some staff routinely break the rules, the process for investigating infringements and approving exemptions was seriously deficient,” her report tabled in parliament on Wednesday said.
“The result was that VicRoads enforcement officers bore no consequences despite committing offences for which any member of the public would get a ticket and points off their licence. This potentially dangerous and unfair practice came to light as a result of a whistleblower coming forward.”
Glass told parliament that in light of the findings, she had recommended VicRoads review all exemptions approved in the past three years, and take appropriate action in relation to any staff who either incurred or approved an exemption inappropriately.
“These VicRoads enforcement officers bore no consequences despite committing offences for which any member of the public would get a ticket and points off their licence,” Glass said.
Investigators also recommended disciplinary action against two VicRoads staff members, improving the training of staff, and developing review procedures to prevent a reccurrence.
The investigation was focussed on one region of Melbourne and examined 18 speeding infringements recorded against VicRoads vehicles over a two-year period.
VicRoads accepted all the recommendations, the chief executive, John Merritt, said, adding that there would no repeat of his staff’s behaviour.
“I’m very disappointed in the actions of these two VicRoads staff; this is completely unacceptable behaviour,” he said.
“We tightened our procedures last year to eliminate this practice and I’m confident it won’t happen again. There is new leadership overseeing this important area and we are determined to improve our performance.”
Disciplinary process against two officers would begin immediately, he said, while an investigation of all speeding fine exemptions over the past three years was “well under way,”.
