A new Office of Future Transport Technologies is to be established within the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities.
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Michael McCormack said the Office will help prepare for the pending arrival of automated vehicles and other transport innovations.
Mr McCormack said it would coordinate with other Governments and Agencies to implement future transport technologies in Australia successfully and responsibly.
“Automated vehicles are on the verge of becoming commercially available here and the Australian Government is taking proactive steps to manage the associated challenges and opportunities within that evolving and future transport landscape,” Mr McCormack said.
“Australian Governments and industry need to collaborate effectively in order to develop the right policy, regulation and infrastructure to adapt to future technology use.”
He said the Australian future transport and mobility industry was expected to generate more than $16 billion in revenue by 2025.
“While representing an emerging business opportunity for the national economy, these technologies also have great potential to reduce the $27 billion cost of road crashes in Australia each year,” Mr McCormack said.
He said Roads Australia, in responding to the inquiry into the National Road Safety Strategy, has described automated vehicles and other new technologies as road safety “game-changers”.
“I expect the Office to collaborate across Governments to ensure automated vehicles are safe; to consider future infrastructure needs; to make sure cyber security safeguards are in place, and to support Australian businesses in taking advantage of new commercial opportunities,” the Minister said.
