Soames Job & RTA safety camera radio advertisement - CarAdvice
Mr Job is the boss of road safety policy at the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority. But let’s put the RTA in context first: The RTA has a massive multi-billion-dollar, taxpayer-funded budget. You pay for it, and so do I. It works for us. The RTA is supposed to be answerable to the NSW Minister for Roads – which is a kind of ‘clearing-house’ ministerial position. It’s a literally ministerial role with L-plates, a position the Premier historically elevates a NSW back-bencher to, with the promise of a better job soon on the proviso they don’t bugger it up too badly. Most of the incumbents aren’t in the job long enough for their arses to warm the chair at Parliament House, let alone forge positive change. Which is one of the reasons the RTA is a case of the tail wagging the dog – senior bureaucrats in the RTA tell the minister what to say and do … not the other way around. Which is one of the reasons the RTA could teach even the Tax Office a thing or two about arrogance. Here’s an example of how it all works: Last year I was at a press conference at Crashlab, which is an impressive facility for Australia, but can’t hold a candle to the crash-test facilities of the major carmakers overseas. Ministers aren’t expected to understand the technicalities, but you can tell when one is reading a speech they saw for the first time in the car on the way to the event. Source: www.caradvice.com.au
