The Director, Public Transport Safety (the Safety Director) was the independent

Government agency A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...

responsible for

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

and

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

safety in the

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, between 1 August 2006 and 30 June 2010. The position was created as a

statutory A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

office by

statute A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...

in early 2006 and was the State's first independent

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

position. The office was superseded by the position of the

Director, Transport Safety The Director, Transport Safety, who operates as Transport Safety Victoria, is the independent Government agency responsible for bus and marine safety in the State of Victoria, Australia. The position was created as a statutory office by the '' ...

which commenced operation on 1 July 2010. The former Safety Director, Public Transport Safety, Alan Osborne, was directly appointed to the new office. The office of the Director, Public Transport Safety commenced operation on 1 August 2006, initially within the Department of Infrastructure. It later formed part of the

Department of Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

until the office was abolished in mid July 2010. The Safety Director was one of three dedicated transport safety offices in

during this period, the others being the Director of Marine Safety and the Chief Investigator, Public Transport and Marine Safety Investigations. The Director, Public Transport Safety was responsible for

regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. For ...

and

compliance Compliance can mean: Healthcare * Compliance (medicine), a patient's (or doctor's) adherence to a recommended course of treatment * Compliance (physiology), the tendency of a hollow organ to resist recoil toward its original dimensions (this is a ...

activities in the

sector with oversight of the rail and

sectors. The Director of Marine Safety, on the other hand, had oversight of the safety performance of the commercial shipping and recreational boating sectors. The Chief Investigator had responsibility for no blame or just culture investigations and inquiries in those areas. The Director, Public Transport Safety traded under the name Public Transport Safety Victoria until the office was abolished in mid-2010.

Establishment

Review

The proposal for a new

regulator in Victoria was developed separately but concurrently with the development of the rail

regulatory scheme reflected in Victoria's Rail Safety Act 2006. The Department of Infrastructure commissioned a review in 2004 which led to a detailed report on the subject - the ''Review of the Role and Accountability Arrangements for Public Transport and Marine Safety Regulation in Victoria''. The review examined

governance Governance is the process of interactions through the laws, social norm, norms, power (social and political), power or language of an organized society over a social system (family, tribe, formal organization, formal or informal organization, a ...

arrangements for

in the

sector drawing on

n and overseas models. Recommendations were made aimed by the review at improving the

accountability Accountability, in terms of ethics and governance, is equated with answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving. As in an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the publ ...

and

methodology In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bri ...

of the then

regulator which had til then obtained its powers to regulate

through

delegation Delegation is the assignment of authority to another person (normally from a manager to a subordinate) to carry out specific activities. It is the process of distributing and entrusting work to another person,Schermerhorn, J., Davidson, P., Poole ...

from the

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

of the then Department of Infrastructure. Particular concerns were expressed about the lack of

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

of the regulator function and the perceived lack of clarity about its

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

and accountabilities. Ultimately, the review recommended the creation of a new independent

office with a clearer

and

arrangements. The

review also examined the case for merging the

regulator with the then Victorian

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

regulator, the Director of Marine Safety.This office was established under the Marine Act 1988. While not recommended at that time, the review found that integration of the functions could be examined in two to three years time once the

regulatory Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. For ...

schemes had been settled and further examination of marine

had occurred. The

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

ultimately pursued the full integration of its

and marine

regulators some five years later as part of its

Transport Integration Act The Transport Integration Act 2010 (the Act) is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia. The Act is the prime transport statute in Victoria, having replaced major parts of the ''Transport Act 1983'', which was renam ...

proposal. Ultimately, the proposals for both a new

rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

scheme and new

arrangements were presented to the

Victorian Parliament The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...

as proposed

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

, a Rail Safety Bill, in early October 2005.

Statute

The Rail Safety Bill was passed by the lower house, the Legislative Assembly, on 1 March 2006. The Bill was introduced into the upper house, the Legislative Council, on 2 March 2006.

Second reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...

was moved in the

upper house An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...

on 28 March and the Bill was ultimately passed without further amendment on 29 March 2006. The provisions establishing the office of the Director, Public Transport Safety were set out in Part 10 of the Rail Safety Bill. These provisions added a new subdivision 3 into Part II of the then Transport Act 1983 to establish the Safety Director's office and to create its objects, functions and powers.

Commencement

The Rail Safety Bill received the

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

on 4 April 2006 to become the Rail Safety Act 2006. The Act was ultimately proclaimed to commence on 1 August 2006. The Rail Safety Regulations 2006 which were required to support the operation of the Act also operated from the same date thereby formally commencing the scheme. Commencement of the Act formally established the office of the Director, Public Transport Safety.

Abolition

The office of the Director, Public Transport Safety was later abolished following the passage and commencement of the

Transport Integration Act 2010 The Transport Integration Act 2010 (the Act) is a law enacted by the Parliament of the State of Victoria, Australia. The Act is the prime transport statute in Victoria, having replaced major parts of the ''Transport Act 1983'', which was renam ...

on 1 July of that year. The

effectively amalgamated the offices of the Director, Public Transport Safety and the Director of Marine Safety and the Director of Marine Safety. This step resulted in the creation of Victoria's first integrated transport

administration with multi modal responsibilities in both land and water-based transport. The speech delivered by the Minister in the

moving the

second reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...

of the then Transport Integration Bill put the matter as follows - ::"The 2004 TFG International ''Review of the Role and Accountability Arrangements for Public Transport and Marine Safety in Victoria'' provided the framework -- implemented by the Rail Safety Act 2006 -- to establish the independent Director, Public Transport Safety, and the Chief Investigator, Transport and Marine Safety Investigations. However, the Director of Marine Safety has not yet been given this same independence. The Bill addresses this by merging the Director of Marine Safety and the Director, Public Transport Safety. This is a significant change, creating a single independent transport safety regulator. It will provide a more integrated approach to safety regulation, while it is also likely to drive efficiencies by removing unnecessary duplication in systems and processes. "For more background, see the companion Wikipedia article on the Rail Safety Act 2006. The commencement of the

therefore formally abolished the office of the Director, Public Transport Safety at midnight on 30 June 2010. The replacement position, the

, commenced immediately from that point on 1 July 2010.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Transport Safety, Victoria
* Public transport in Melbourne Bus transport in Victoria (Australia) Former government agencies of Victoria (Australia) Transport safety organizations 2006 establishments in Australia 2010 disestablishments in Australia Government agencies established in 2006