Premier rebuffs populist politics claims over sports car regulation

Premier Peter Malinauskas has rejected that his proposal to introduce greater regulation of high-powered sports cars is populist politics, saying the state government is aiming to “ameliorate unnecessary risk” on metropolitan roads.

Malinauskas flagged over the weekend the government would be moving to introduce legislation before the end of the year to establish a new licensing scheme for drivers of elite high-powered sports cars, similar to motorcycle and truck licenses.

The legislation would also ban drivers accused of killing a person from holding a license until their case is resolved, and prohibit the disabling of traction control in high-powered vehicles.

The move comes after Alexander Campbell – who in June 2019 lost control of his high-powered Lamborghini Huracan, killing teenage pedestrian Sophia Naismith – was found not guilty of causing death by dangerous driving by the South Australian District Court on Thursday.

Malinauskas said the state government’s new legislation would aim to “ameliorate unnecessary risk” and rejected that it was a populist proposal in light of public outrage over Campbell’s not-guilty verdict.

“This isn’t a law that’s about just high-end users of the cars themselves, this is about everybody on the road,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide this morning.

“And I don’t think it’s populist, I think that’s responsible.

“Does anyone seriously think that we should take the tragedy such as what happened with the Naismith family and just ignore it?

“Does anyone seriously think that there are technological advances being introduced in cars that make roads safer for everybody, that we should give people the ability to turn it off so they can hoon around on the streets? I don’t think so.”

Malinauskas also said he “completely reject(s)” claims of hypocrisy over the state government’s move to bring back the Adelaide 500 motor race this year.

“I mean the idea that motorsports in a highly regulated, highly sophisticated environment such as a racetrack is comparable to Metropolitan streets, I mean that is a completely, I think, disproportionate comparison that most South Australians would agree doesn’t stack up,” he said.

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Malinauskas also moved to reassure the public that the legislation won’t see extra training required for “tens of thousands” of vehicles across the state.

“What we are really aiming at is trying to make sure that people who are in very very high-powered vehicles at the end of the spectrum do undertake a degree of training

“I for one don’t think that’s an unreasonable proposition.”

Opposition leader David Speirs said he would back a “modernisation” of South Australia’s road laws if proper consultation was undertaken, indicating early bipartisan support for the proposal.