His Honour Gordon Lewis AM is Australia’s first independent Road Safety Camera Commissioner. The Office of the Road Safety Camera Commissioner was established by section 4 of the Road Safety Camera Commissioner Act 2011 (the Act). The Commissioner was appointed in December 2011 and the Office of the Road Safety Camera Commissioner commenced operation on 6 February 2012.

His Honour commenced legal practice in 1957 and was appointed the Director of the Law Institute of Victoria in 1975, where he served for 11 years. After three years as the Victorian Government Solicitor, he was then appointed as a County Court Judge in 1990 and served on the bench for 18 years (the last four years as an acting Judge).

Between 2008 and 2011, Mr Lewis was a Deputy Chairman of the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation. In 2008, he conducted an inquiry into integrity in the racing industry in Victoria. In 2011, he was also appointed to the Anti-corruption and Integrity Consultation Panel to advise the establishment of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission for Victoria.

To make Victorian roads safer and fairer for all road users.

To provide Victorian motorists with ongoing support in regard to the State’s road safety camera system and to provide an alternative avenue for complaints and quality assurance.

The Commissioner has committed to the four following values to guide and inform his work:

• Integrity – To carry out his functions with honesty, accuracy and consistency
• Transparency – To provide credible expert advice about road safety operations to Parliament and the community
• Accountability – To monitor and review the accuracy, integrity and efficiency of the Victorian road safety camera system.
• Independence – To act impartially and objectively in the fulfilment  of his functions under the Act.

The Road Safety Camera Commissioner has three key roles:

• Quality Assurance and Reporting - Part of the Commissioner’s statutory role involves independently monitoring and reviewing current camera operations. The Commissioner is required to review and assess the operation of the road safety camera system at least annually, and this also involves the regular review of the information made available about the camera system by the Department of Justice.

• Investigation and Review - Pursuant to section 10(e) of the Road Safety Camera Commissioner Act 2011, the Commissioner is able to review any part of the system if agreed to or requested by the Minister to do so. The Commissioner is also empowered to publish his findings and recommendations in his annual report. Full reports into all investigations will be published on this website in the News and Media section.

• Complaints Management - Any motorist who feels aggrieved by alleged technical or systemic issues relating to the road safety camera system can lodge a complaint about the system with the Commissioner. However, it is not the role of the Commissioner to intervene in individual cases.

The Road Safety Camera Commissioner is empowered under the Act to establish a group of advisors to be known as the Reference Group. The Reference group consists of the Commissioner plus between three and seven other members, appointed by the Minister for Police and Emergency Services on the recommendation of the Commissioner.

The members of the Reference Group will provide information and advice to the Commissioner from their unique backgrounds and areas of expertise to assist the Commissioner in the performance of his functions under the Act.  The Reference Group is made up of experts in the fields of road safety research, road safety engineering, road safety technology and public relations. The Commissioner is the Chairman of the Reference Group and will provide the terms of reference.

The functions of the Reference Group include:

• advising the Commissioner about various aspects of the road safety camera system
• providing advice and recommendations to the Commissioner in relation to any matter requested by the Commissioner.

Members of the Reference Group may not act as expert witnesses or comment publicly on any matters currently under consideration by the Reference Group.

The members of the Reference Group are:

Professor Tom Drummond, Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Monash University

Tom Drummond is a professor of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering at Monash University.  His research specialisation is in real-time processing of sensor information, in particular computer vision with application to robotics, augmented reality and assistive devices for the visually impaired.  He has a BA in mathematics and an MA from the University of Cambridge, UK and a PhD in computer science from Curtin University, WA.

Dr Richard Tay, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, La Trobe University

Dr Tay is the Chair in Road Safety Management at La Trobe University and his work has led him to evaluate policies and programs as well as to develop, implement and evaluate multidisciplinary measures to improve road safety and reduce the social cost of road trauma.

David Jones, Manager, Roads and Traffic, RACV

Mr Jones is a strategic traffic and transport engineer and planner with several years experience as a manager of research and consulting scientists and engineers in the transport industry.

Jane Fenton AM, Founder of Fenton Communications

Jane Fenton is a non-executive director and expert in communications. She is the Chair of the Queen Victoria Women's Centre Trust, a director of the Queen Victoria Market Pty Ltd and of the Cancer Council Australia Pty Ltd. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Public Relations Institute of Australia, a Life Governor of Very Special Kids and a consultant to the business she founded in 1987, Fenton Communications.