Learn more about the Commissioner and the Reference Group
Welcome and Thank You
The Road Safety Camera Commissioner Reference Group is a group of advisors, established under the Road Safety Camera Commissioner Act 2011 (the Act) to provide information and advice to the Commissioner.
Each member of the group provides expertise in the fields of road safety research, road safety engineering, and road safety technology.
Upon their departure at the expiry of their terms, we wish to thank Professor Brian Fildes, Ms. Pauline Kostiuk and Professor Carolyn Unsworth, for their service and commitment as Reference Group members over the last nine to 10 years.
We are very pleased to confirm the reappointment of the remaining current members, Ms Tia Gaffney, Mr Duke Trench-Thiedeman and Mr Martin Boorman APM who have offered their commitment to continue for another two year term.
We also wish to welcome three newly appointed Reference Group members, Dr Carlyn Muir, PhD, Ms. Claire Murdoch and Ms. Liz Waller, who bring a broad range of unique skills, perspectives and knowledge to the group.
Road Safety Camera Commissioner of Victoria
Mr Neville Taylor APM MAICD
Mr Neville Taylor has an extensive background with Victoria Police, contributing to the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020 and the Global Road Safety project, to combat international road trauma.
Locally, with a focus on new enforcement technology, he oversaw the design and implementation of Automatic Number Place Recognition technology, roadside drug testing and red-light, fixed and mobile road safety cameras.
Supported by extensive research, Neville leads the cultural change and discussions of Victorian community attitudes around the enforcement of low-level speeding, mobile phone use, the wearing of seatbelts and their impact on road trauma.
In his role as Road Safety Camera Commissioner, Neville is committed to ensuring the integrity and transparency of road safety camera technology, increasing community confidence in and acceptance of road safety cameras as an important part of enforcement that can contribute to a change in driver behaviour and safer driving habits.
Road Safety Camera Commissioner Reference Group
The Road Safety Camera Commissioner Reference Group is established under the Road Safety Camera Commissioner Act 2011, Division 4 (the Act).
The function of the Reference Group is to provide advice and information to the Commissioner in order to assist him or her in performing their functions under the Act.
This may include advice about various aspects of the road safety camera system and advice and recommendations in relation to any matter requested by the Commissioner.
The Reference Group consists of the Commissioner plus between three and seven other members, appointed by the Minister for Police on the recommendation of the Commissioner.
The Reference Group comprises experts in the fields of road safety research, road safety engineering, and road safety technology.
Ms Tia Gaffney a Senior Forensic Engineer at the Allied Forensics Group. Tia graduated from the University of California (Santa Barbara) with a BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering and has over 20 years’ experience evaluating the behaviour of vehicles and occupants in crashes. She specialises in applying physical and engineering sciences to safety across many areas, ranging from transport to workplace occupational health and safety.
Tia’s extensive work covers:
- road safety
- crashworthiness
- accident and incident investigation
- biomechanical analysis
- mitigation for injury prevention
Before moving to Australia, Tia was with General Motors in Detroit, Michigan. She subsequently led crashworthiness evaluations at the crash laboratory and safety research firm Safety Analysis and Forensic Engineering (Santa Barbara, California) and later as the state road safety leader at the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and at her own consultancy, Hindsight Forensic Engineering. Her career encompasses extensive analysis, testing, and research related to severe vehicle collisions.
Mr Martin Boorman APM is a world-renowned expert in road safety and road trauma reduction by technology as the instrument to achieve behavioural change by road users. He has expertise in deterrence theory and social psychology relating to community acceptance and maintenance of behavioural change to reduce the risk of road trauma. His specialist field of expertise in impaired driving is based on the same principles related to high-risk behaviours by road users such as speed and distraction.
Mr Boorman served 36 years with Victoria Police, dedicating 30 years specialising in impaired driving enforcement as an operative, trainer, court prosecutor, program manager, and strategic adviser. In 2001, he was awarded the Australian Police Medal in the Order of Australia for distinguished police service in the field of road safety. He has provided advice on impaired driving matters to all the jurisdictions in Australia and to 39 international jurisdictions.
He is an accomplished researcher, author, and speaker, having provided advice to the United Nations Global Road Safety Partnership under the auspices of the World Health Organisation. Mr Boorman has given evidence in relation to impaired driving to one federal and three state parliamentary inquiries into road trauma and road safety. Since retiring from Victoria Police in 2016, he has continued to contribute to this field as an adviser to policy making bodies including Austroads, Victoria Police, the Department of Transport and Planning (VicRoads), the Department of Justice and Community Safety, and MUARC.
Mr Duke Trench-Thiedeman worked as a computer engineer for over 40 years, including developing onboard computer systems for trucks and road train safety with a German instrument company.
After becoming paraplegic in a 2009 motor vehicle accident, Duke retired to become more active in the community through:
- mentoring inpatients at the Austin and Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Hospitals
- promoting sports for disabled people through the YMCA
- becoming a Champion for Seniors
- involvement in a Banyule City Council project on housing for the ageing
- serving as the inaugural President of Victoria’s first Para-Badminton Club, President from 2017 to 2022 and currently Secretary and Acting President of the Club
Duke is also the:
- 2020 Disability Sport and Recreation Master Sportsperson of the Year
- Ambassador for Para-Badminton at Badminton Victoria
- Ambassador for Solve/TAD Disability Solutions Group
- Badminton Oceania Athletes Commission appointment
- Banyule City Council Local Legend
Duke represented Australia in the 2017 World Para-Badminton Championships in Ulsan, South Korea, the 2019 Total World Para-Badminton Championships in Basel, Switzerland and more recently at the 2022 World Para Badminton Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
As Duke has the lived experience of road trauma and with a disability, he is passionate about making roads safe as possible for all, especially those of senior age and those with disabilities and impairments.
Duke’s advocacy for the needs of people with disabilities offers an acute awareness of the wide-ranging solutions required.
Claire is a senior executive with over 20 years of expertise in policy and regulatory reform, strategy development, and behaviour change program design and evaluation. Her passion lies in prioritising evidence-based initiatives that enhance safety and social outcomes for customers and the community.
Throughout her career, Claire has been instrumental in the development, implementation, and evaluation of regulatory and road safety improvements both in Australia and internationally. Her notable achievements include:
Leading the Development of the NSW Road Safety Plan 2021: Claire spearheaded the creation of a comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing road trauma and enhancing safety measures across New South Wales.
Implementing Point-to-Point Transport Reforms in NSW: She played a key role in reforming transport regulations to improve safety and efficiency in the point-to-point transport sector.
Delivering the World-First Mobile Phone Detection Camera Program: Claire was pivotal in the successful rollout of this innovative program, which aims to deter mobile phone use while driving and improve road safety.
Developing the first NSW Speed Camera Strategy: She established the inaugural strategy for speed cameras in New South Wales, including annual reviews and initiatives to increase transparency and community support for speed camera operations.
Advising the New Zealand Transport Agency: As an expert adviser, Claire supported the successful implementation of the Safety Camera Program in New Zealand, contributing to improved road safety outcomes.
Leading Best Practice Guidance for Austroads: Currently, Claire is at the forefront of a team dedicated to delivering best practice guidance on road safety management for Austroads to support member agencies.
Claire's extensive experience and commitment to evidence-based policy and program design make her a valuable leader in the field of road safety and regulatory reform.
Liz Waller is Acting General Manager of Health, Safety, Environment and Head of Road Safety with Transurban, one of the world’s largest toll-road operators with roads in Australia, the USA and Canada.
For road safety, Liz leads a specialist team that works across the group to embed the safe system approach in designing and building new roads, operating and maintaining assets, and developing and communicating driver behaviour change programs. Liz works closely with research institutes on improving safety for vehicle occupants, including children, and new vehicle and road safety technologies.
Before joining Transurban, Liz spent almost 10 years with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) as Manager, Road Safety Strategy and Programs. Previously she spent four years with VicRoads road safety division. Before her road safety career, Liz worked in general management roles in technology starts-ups and management consulting.
Liz served consecutive two-year terms as Executive Council Member for the Australasian College of Road Safety until May 2024 and is a current member of the US Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Committee on Vehicle User Education, Training, and Licensing.
Carlyn is Associate Professor and Associate Director at Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC); leading the Emergency Services Research Team, and Professional Education portfolio. Carlyn has qualifications in behavioural science (psychology), social science, health promotion, and public health.
Carlyn’s translational research portfolio covers a broad range of safety science topics, including capacity and capability building for achieving Safe System outcomes, implementation of Safe System, the safety of roadside emergency services and incident responders, and communication and engagement for road safety outcomes. Carlyn has led a large number of national and international projects, leveraging collaborations across a broad range of disciplines including engineering, biostatistics, epidemiology, medicine, paramedicine, and policing; among others. This supports the design of solutions with a focus on system-wide and sustainable change that supports road safety outcomes.
Carlyn leads the MUARC Professional Education portfolio, which includes designing and delivering the Graduate Certificate of Road Safety. More than 110 Australian road safety practitioners and leaders have graduated from this course since 2021. This portfolio also includes the development and delivery of a range of short courses to support road safety capacity building in a number of countries and organisations around the world.
Carlyn has published more than 80 research papers and reports, published a book on road safety, and received two awards for outstanding road safety research from the Transportation Research Board in the United States.
Carlyn also co-ordinated MUARC’s activities as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Violence and Injury Prevention, which focuses on research, advocacy and capacity building, for more than five years.