This is the full interview with Melanie Suitor. The edited version was published in the ACRS 2024 Annual Report.
The LGN was established in February 2023 and has grown rapidly, reaching 328 members by the end of 2024. It welcomes any ACRS member working in or interested in local government road safety. For Chairperson Melanie Suitor, this network is more than just a professional group—it’s a vital support system for practitioners who are often working in isolation.
What initially drew you to a career in road safety and how did it lead to your current role in local government?
MS: “I fell into road safety after completing my communications degree. I’m from regional NSW; I studied in regional NSW, and I knew that when I got a full-time job I wanted to work in regional NSW. When I saw the Road Safety Officer position advertised for Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils I thought ‘I could do that’. I had my public relations and journalism skills, was good at public speaking and enjoyed project management. I figured I would learn the rest on the job – and I did. I’m still as passionate about road safety as I was when I started 23 years ago. It touches everyone as we are all road users. It’s a job that literally can save lives.”
What motivates you personally to continue working in road safety?
MS: “I love the diversity of the role. No two days are the same. Sometimes your day is full of meetings or paperwork and other times you are out and about running an event or conducting a road safety audit. It’s a great mixture of work tasks, topics and stakeholders. In my 23 years I have worked on a range of projects focused on all sorts of human factors – speed, drink driving, fatigue, mobile phones, seatbelts, child restraints, motorcyclists, heavy vehicles, load restraint, young drivers etc. And I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with a range of dedicated stakeholders – TfNSW, Council staff, NSW Police, NSW Ambulance, SES, NHVR, local businesses, NSW Health, Safework NSW, NSW Farmers etc along with local community members. I’m still challenged, and I find the work really rewarding. I love meeting the local community, hearing their stories and helping them with their road safety issues.”
What is the ACRS Local Government Network, and why was it established?
MS: “The ACRS Local Government Network is comprised of members of the College who either work directly for local government or with organisations that have an interest in what local government is doing in the road safety space, such as state road authorities or consultants. The LGN looks at road safety through a local government lense. Those who work in local government road safety often work in isolation, so the network was developed to connect members with people and ideas that they may not have otherwise encountered. The network holds monthly online events to allow inclusivity of practitioners across Australia and New Zealand, to showcase projects undertaken by local governments, to focus on a range of road safety issues and provide support for member’s road safety concerns/issues.”
What are the main aims and objectives of the Network?
MS: “There are 615 local governments across Australia and New Zealand – 78 in New Zealand and 537 in Australia. Collectively local government manages 82% of the Australian road network and 88% of the New Zealand road network by length. They are a key partner in achieving road safety targets. The aim and objective of the Network is to connect people and ideas, share stories, collaborate, focus on local government road safety issues, improve road safety knowledge and outcomes, and assist practitioners in their daily work.”
How does the Network support local government professionals working in road safety?
MS: “The road safety work being undertaken by local governments is vast – covering not just road maintenance and infrastructure upgrades, but also education and engagement activities, fleet safety, land use planning and much more. The LGN offers practitioners a place where they can learn and find solutions. As we grow our membership this builds upon the richness and robustness of the conversation about local government road safety problems, solutions and how to achieve the road safety targets. Personally, I have enjoyed hearing about projects and issues that I have not had experience with prior to joining the LGN. The LGN activities are organised and overseen by a small but passionate volunteer committee, and I am very grateful to each of the committee members for the time they have dedicated to get the LGN off the ground and running so smoothly.”
Can you describe some of the key initiatives or projects the Network has led or supported recently?
MS: “We hold monthly online meetings. These are a mixture of webinars; information sessions and my personal favourite is the ask the brains-trust open mic sessions. Attendance varies each month, and we do record some of our sessions so if you are unable to make it you can watch it back later in the members area of the ACRS website. Last year we supported the ACRS Risk Assessment Framework Project, which will provide advice to local governments on how best to risk rate their road network. The report will hopefully be released soon.”
How does the Network facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration among members?
MS: “We hold online meetings on the second Wednesday of each month at 2pm AEST (Sydney time) – except the month the ARSC is held as we run a workshop as part of the conference program. These monthly meetings are a great way for members to hear about a range of road safety projects being undertaken by local government or projects that are of interest to local government. Many local government road safety practitioners work in isolation. You don’t know what you don’t know, and in many cases the issue that you are faced with is the same issue that another council has a solution for, so it’s great to know what other work is being undertaken, that has proven results and that can be replicated in other jurisdictions. Members have broadened their network of peers to practitioners across Australia and New Zealand.”
How do local government road safety professionals benefit from being part of the Network?
MS: “The LGN has incredible potential to contribute towards road safety targets by providing a platform for local government road safety practitioners to network with colleagues they would otherwise have had no opportunity to connect with. Communication through webinars and online meetings results in a more inclusive approach that connects people across Australia and New Zealand in both metropolitan and regional councils. The LGN offers members the opportunity to establish and build relationships with other road safety practitioners and hear ideas from guest speakers that they may not have otherwise met, engaged with or heard about. However, a lack of coordination and awareness of the success being achieved elsewhere can be a significant barrier, resulting in efforts and discovery needlessly being duplicated in isolation.”
Can you share an example of how the Network has helped a council or region achieve safer outcomes on the roads?
MS: “A few success stories:
Following an LGN webinar presentation on a proposal to install an innovative compact rural roundabout, a practitioner reached out to the presenter to offer their council’s experience having recently constructed examples of this treatment. This interaction was instrumental in reducing the cost of the roundabout through sharing the design approach.
A Queensland Council have developed a Network Safety Plan of their road network following the LGN webinar on the same topic.
Members representing the LGN were invited by DITRDCA to attend and contribute to a national roundtable meeting alongside ALGA, state and territory based local government representative bodies and other representatives from ACRS to discuss significant upcoming changes to the Commonwealth’s Targeted Infrastructure Program for road safety treatments including Roads to Recovery, Black Spot and Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure funding programs.
How can others – whether in local councils, government, or the community – support the work of the Local Government Network?
MS: “Local government needs more support to counter the lack of funding and fewer staff dedicated to road safety when compared to their state and national counterparts. To achieve our shared road safety vision, the pathway forward requires a coordinated effort where local government works together regardless of jurisdiction. The LGN has already demonstrated in its short history that it is capable of informing and influencing practitioners across the broad spectrum of local governments, as well as higher levels of authority. As the LGN continues to grow and offer practitioners a place where they can learn and find solutions, we encourage more local government staff, state and federal government staff and the community to join and share their knowledge. This would then build upon the richness and robustness of the conversation about local road safety problems and how to achieve the road safety targets.”
What has been the most rewarding part of your role as Chairperson of the Network?
MS: “If you had asked me two years ago (prior to the establishment of the LGN) if I was a well-rounded local government road safety practitioner, I would have said yes. At that time, I had over 20 years of experience developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating local community road safety projects and events, focusing on a number of human factors (speeding, drink driving, seatbelts, child restraints, heavy vehicles, young drivers etc). And I had some engineering experience in being a road safety auditor, sitting on three local traffic committees, undertaking observations in school zones and assisting with the traffic management for the annual Parkes Elvis Festival. However, since being involved in the LGN, my road safety knowledge has blossomed from speaking with practitioners in other fields, hearing about other local government’s road safety work and I now have a much more well-rounded understanding of local government road safety issues, activities and solutions.”
What would you say to someone considering a career in road safety, especially within local government?
MS: “Do it – working in local government road safety is incredibly rewarding. You are at the coalface, working directly with and for your local community. It is really rewarding to get community feedback about your work. I’ve found that the road safety community as diverse as we are, are very welcoming and generous with sharing their time and knowledge.”