I contribute to debate on the Road Rules Amendment (Mobile Phones as Navigation Aids for Provisional Licence Holders) Bill 2024. There can be argy‑bargy in the House. As we saw earlier today, things can sometimes get combative but, in my time in this place, I have been pleased to see that there is very much a bipartisan approach to reducing the road toll and improving road safety where possible. That being said, the Government does not support the bill. I do, however, thank the Hon. John Ruddick and the member for Murray for introducing the bill; it is certainly an idea that needs consideration. As I said, when it comes to road safety, we all take a measured, considered and bipartisan approach to reducing the road toll and improving road safety. I have been involved in a number of petition debates on issues of road safety in my short time as a member.

While the Government does not support the bill, it does not dismiss it outright. The issue lies with a number of operational concerns that need to be addressed before looking at legislative change. The Government acknowledges the need to review the current rules and explore measured reform. The Minister spoke earlier about that process. A key concern is the rising road toll in the State, which has continued to climb post-COVID. It is important that we do what we can to improve the road toll. It is also important to ensure that any changes are evidence based and made cautiously. The last thing we want is unintended consequences from implementing changes without due consideration.

This bill obviously concerns young drivers. I have a young driver in my household, my daughter, who got her Ps last year. As she left the house on the morning of her test, I remember thinking, "She's not going to pass. I've seen her drive." When she came back, she had passed. I was a little bit frightened, but I can now say that she is a very sensible driver. I am proud when I see her out and about on the road with her P-plates. Young drivers have a higher risk driving profile. I am happy to put my hand up and say that when I was of driving age and got my first licence, my brain had possibly not fully formed or matured. Some members may think that I am still not there, but we will leave that up for debate.

We set age restrictions of 16, 17 and 18 years of age for when young drivers can start to apply for their Ls and Ps. These drivers have a higher risk profile because it takes time for their brains to fully form and for them to develop better reaction times, which is reflected in the road toll statistics. The graduated licensing system in this State is evidence based and structured to reduce risks for young and inexperienced drivers. That is why we have L‑plates, red Ps and green Ps. There were 76 young driver fatalities in 2023. This accounted for 22 per cent of all fatalities, the number of which had increased from the previous year, which goes to my earlier point about the increased post-COVID road toll.

The highest risk period for a driver is their first six months of driving. All members who drive will know that we gain instinctive driving skills. When my daughter is driving and I am sitting in the passenger seat, I will say, "Watch out! This idiot is about to pull in front of you." Within about five seconds that idiot does pull in front. These skills develop over time. It takes a while for young drivers to develop them, which is why the first six months are so critical. What if someone decides they do not need to get their licence when they are 16 or 17 and instead gets their Ps after the age of 25? As youth and cognitive development issues remain to a certain extent, even provisional drivers who are over the age of 25 have a higher risk profile when compared to unrestricted licence holders of the same age. This reflects provision drivers' lack of instinctive traits which come from driving experience.

I drive to Parliament every morning, and on days like today I can feel a little bit tired from lack of sleep. I do not want to single any drivers out, but it tends to be big utes driven by tradies that duck in and out more than the average car. Drivers develop an instinctive feeling for when cars are going to whip in and out. This is why it is important that drivers have their eyes and all of their sense concentrated on the road. This is especially true when driving down roads like the M5, which I drive on every morning. Things like mobile phones can be distracting.

Members only need to look at this place during question time, or even right now, to see that these are very distracting devices with their ding-dongs and notifications—Candy Crush is no doubt front and centre of some members' minds. That is why phone use is restricted while driving and the Government intends to keep it that way until it has undertaken its review. The idea behind this policy is to send a clear message that mobile phones and driving should be kept separate. The rules differ in other Australian States and Territories. The Government wants to do two things: firstly, look at evidence-based best practice; and secondly, keep things consistent. That is very important for border towns. We want to make sure that the rules are consistent if someone is whipping over the Murray River or Tweed River between jurisdictions. It will take a bit of time to ensure that new laws are evidence based and consistent.

The Transport for NSW Centre for Road Safety is conducting a review to work out the best way forward. The review will look at policy considerations; risks, which I spoke about earlier; the practicality of enforcing any changes; and research and evidence on driver distraction and emerging mobile phone and car technologies. In recent years changes were made to allow provisional drivers over the age of 25 to use a mobile phone as a GPS navigation aid. There are restrictions on this, including that the mobile phone must be mounted, the route must be set before the trip and the driver must not touch the phone while driving. Perhaps a review is needed, given the increase in emerging technologies and given that cars are getting fancier.

When I am driving in my vehicle, I can press the little microphone button and say, "Navigate to New South Wales Parliament," and away it goes. We need to ensure that the law is not unnecessarily limiting the convenience of these technologies if they are safe to use. To wrap up, I acknowledge the work of the member for Murray and the Hon. John Ruddick, from the other place, to refine this bill and bring it before the House. The Centre for Road Safety review will ensure that any decision the Government makes is based on evidence and road safety. I finish my remarks by acknowledging the contribution of stakeholders, including the NRMA.