Money - and the " safety " issue !

Two events in the one week will create financial pressures at opposite ends of the education question.   The state government is looking to withdraw a whopping $ 1.7 billion over four years from the education budget to finance other urgent state needs - and now there is a new urgency to install seat belts in school buses !

There is no doubt that a reduction in education funds will be unpopular.  It will probably result in higher private school fees and staff reductions in public schools, and it seems certain that it will be bitterly resisted by the teacher's unions.

The seat belt question in school buses has been a hoary old chestnut.   We have laws in place to heavily fine car drivers if they - or their passengers - do not buckle up for every journey.  In recent years, tourist coaches have had seat belts made mandatory - and yet we cram kids into school buses with two or three made to use a seat designed for a single adult and many others standing for the entire journey - all without any form of protection from a crash.

Our luck ran out when a prime mover and a school bus collided at Singleton.   One passenger was killed and two others were seriously injured, and now the question of getting safety belts into school buses is moving to the top of the agenda.   What will create impetus - is the fact that New South Wales and Victoria are now the only states lacking this safety regulation.

It sounds simple !    Just pass a law and require bus operators to install belts and the problem is solved.   There is even a Commonwealth subsidy ready and waiting to ease the financial burden by reimbursing bus owners for part of the cost.

School bus seat belt costs are like the tip of an iceberg.   There are huge costs hidden away which will quickly emerge and engulf the entire system.  School buses are a contract measure between bus companies and the government.  Bus companies tender to provide services, and tender prices relate to the number of buses needed to move an agreed number of children.

The moment each child is required to occupy a seat and wear a seat belt, the number of buses needed will expand inpotentially - and so will the cost..   Not only will the government be hit hard - so will the parents because even public schools send kids on excursions and that usually involves bus transport paid for by school levies.   The transport issue seems endless.   Getting kids from school to sporting facilities usually involves bus transport.

This school bus seat belt issue has been dodged by governments for years.   There have been endless enquiries and all have foundered on the issue of " cost " !    In all probability the present government may seek to put distance before a decision - in the hope that pressure will dissipate, but there is a certain inevitability involved and the safety conscious will try and keep it at the top of the agenda.

It simply makes no sense to insist on draconian laws to keep kids safe in private cars, and at the same time pack them into school buses like travelling Sardine cans.    Unfortunately, someones child had to die to force the issue to the decision stage !