Bathurst Regional Council votes not to continue support for young driver program

Councillors on Wednesday voted down a recommendation to provide almost $20,000 in financial support for the Bathurst Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program over the next three years, sparking a furious response from program co-ordinator Brian Burke.

Mr Burke said he was disgusted to learn councillors had not supported the recommendation by corporate services director Bob Roach and feared the program would not go ahead without council’s financial backing.

“This is devastating because they’re putting the lives of every Year 11 kid next year at risk by not giving them the chance to learn what it’s really like to be a driver,” he said.

“I’m disgusted with their attitude.”

The RYDA program is run each year at Mount Panorama, targeting high school students as they first get behind the wheel.

This year’s program brought together facilitators from a local driver training company [Panorama Road Safety], headspace Bathurst, Bathurst police and a crash survivor to talk about young drivers’ responsibilities on the road.

Council has long supported the event by waiving the Mount Panorama hire fees and it was expected that support would continue for the next three years when council considered the matter on Wednesday night.

But Councillor Warren Aubin – who runs his own driver training business, Bathurst Learn To Drive, in opposition to Panorama Road Safety – said RYDA organisers had been told some years ago that council would waive hire fees to allow the program to become established but it was now time for them to “stand alone”.

“If we have a look at this program, there are grants from the government available and the kids pay for the day [$10 each], plus the fact we have people up there who are running their own business and promoting their own business through this event, means they should be standing on their own two feet by now,” Cr Aubin said.

“If I go up there to run a defensive driver course I have to pay the fees and I don’t see that this is any different.”

Councillors Greg Westman, Monica Morse and Graeme Hanger voted with Cr Aubin to knock back the request for funding, while councillors Ian North, Bobby Bourke and Jess Jennings voted in support. Cr Michael Coote was absent.

Mr Burke said council’s financial support was vital in making the program viable.

Students are currently charged $10 a head to attend the program and, at that rate, the 555 who attended this year would not even cover the Mount Panorama hire fees.

“If we were to charge $20 a head the numbers would just dry up – many wouldn’t be able to afford it,” Mr Burke said.

“From that $10, $4.50 goes towards administration and the printing of booklets, etc, and with the other $5.50 we have to run the program, pay the facilitators and other costs.”

Panorama Road Safety owner Matt Irvine was also disappointed with the outcome from Wednesday night and stressed RYDA was a not-for-profit program that aimed to make young drivers safer on the road.

He said his company received an honorarium to conduct sessions during the week-long program but accepted payment well below market rates for its time.

He said RYDA could be run at other venues in Bathurst but none would come close to the facilities on offer at Mount Panorama.

Mr Irvine said RYDA would submit more information to council in a bid to secure the fee waiver.

“The only information in opposing this [on Wednesday night] came from a rival business owner who should have had no right to speak on this at all,” he said.

Councillors will get a second chance to vote on the fee waiver when a second report comes before council within weeks.