Mr GREG PIPER (Lake Macquarie) (14:45): I support the Crimes Amendment (Serious Road Crimes) Bill 2026. I believe it will help to protect victims of serious road crime. I note that it provides a legislative response to the NSW Law Reform Commission's recommendations regarding serious road crime reform in report No. 152, and I acknowledge the Minister's comments in his second reading speech, regarding progress on the non‑legislative recommendations. I support the proposed new offence targeting bystanders who intentionally record and disseminate images of road crash victims rather than rendering assistance. It is truly unfathomable that a person with the capacity to help a victim of a road crash who lies seriously injured, dying or deceased would knowingly choose to do something other than help that person and, in doing so, compound the grief of the victim's family.
I know that Andrew and Melissa Dimovski, whose petition was sponsored by me and was debated in this House in September, share this view on fatal hit-and-run crashes. Their 14-year-old son, Bryson, was killed in a fatal hit-and-run in 2023. In his second reading speech on the bill, the Attorney General spoke of Bryson's tragic death and the advocacy of his parents in fighting for change. The Dimovskis' petition, signed by over 21,000 people, calls for changes to maximum penalties, bail laws and sentencing laws and for the law to treat drivers who flee the scene of a crash like those who refuse drug or alcohol testing.
I add, regarding this fourth reform, that the Dimovskis advocate that avoiding mandatory drug and alcohol testing by making the choice to flee a crash means that crucial evidence critical to a charge of dangerous driving, including in circumstances of aggravation, is lost. They believe that a driver should not be able to gain a potential legal advantage in one crime by committing another—that is, avoiding a dangerous driving charge by fleeing and instead being charged with a "fail to stop" offence, which can carry lower penalties. They cannot fathom that there are no consequences for this and note that refusing mandatory testing at the scene of a serious crash carries legal consequences but that avoiding a test by fleeing does not. Andrew and Melissa believe that the law needs to change to remove any incentive to flee, and I believe they have a compelling argument.
I note that the Attorney General has referred current offence exclusions for intensive correction to the NSW Sentencing Council for consideration. The Dimovskis believe that a community-based sentence, including an intensive correction order or community correction order, is wholly inappropriate in the case of a fatal "fail to stop" offence and does not reflect the severity of the crime. They call for custodial sentences to be imposed. I truly believe that the changes proposed by Andrew and Melissa Dimovski should be properly examined by the Government. The Attorney General has assured me they have been referred to the department for consideration. While this bill does not directly address the reforms laid out in their petition, I am hopeful this process means they are given fulsome consideration and that this is not the end of the road for law reform of serious road crime offences. I thank the Attorney General for his ongoing engagement with the Dimovski family and myself in relation to their petition.
The Dimovskis—as well as the Frith family, whose 15-year-old daughter Jade Frith died after being struck while crossing Hillsborough Road in 2016—have impressed on me the vital need to listen to families with lived experience of road crime. They have taught me we need to be mindful of the language we use. When talking about serious road crime, we are not talking about "accidents". We are talking about serious criminal offences ranging from dangerous and negligent driving to hit-and-runs. Language matters and, even when unintentionally used, can hurt victims of road trauma. Andrew Dimovski said:
Calling road crime an 'accident' can minimise actions, soften accountability and compound the trauma of the families left behind.
I ask the House to learn from victims of road trauma advocating for change in the midst of unimaginable loss when discussing and debating serious road crime reform. This learning shapes my support of the bill's creation of a separate road crime division in the Crimes Act, in accordance with recommendation 7.1 of the Law Reform Commission's report. Recognising road crime as a unique category of serious offending will help improve community understanding of the nature and severity of these crimes. Once again, I express my support for this bill. I thank the Attorney General for introducing it and acknowledge his ongoing engagement with victims and advocates, including the Road Trauma Support Group and others such as the Dimovski family.