Waste of extra police funding. Does it make economic sense to have two police personnel one day a week driving up and down the Stuart highway? Or spending even more money to achieve this when clearly the funds could be better utilised elsewhere?
The government is diverting millions of dollars in scarce Government resources to pay for a NT Police highway patrol branch, whose main aim will be to book people for speeding at 115 km/h or more in a 110 km/h zone, or 135 km/h or more in a 130 km/h zone, when there is NO EVIDENCE that driving at 115 km/h or even at 135 km/h on a straight piece of unlimited speed limit highway has ever caused a single crash.
Instead.
Those millions of dollars could be spent on helping the NT Police and other NT Government agencies to deal with much more prevalent and pressing social issues in the NT, such as child sexual abuse and substance abuse in remove indigenous communities, indigenous housing, health and employment, as well as drug dealing, violence, theft and other crimes being committed in the NT.
Also the NT Government's limited resources would be better spent on driver training and education, particularly in how to make their driving decisions – and to drive to the conditions to suit. Making rules will not help anyone make any decisions, and will not reduce any road tolls. To make a marked improvement, expand the current DTAL program to encourage - say - older drivers 30 an above to complete.