Federal Gellibrand MP Tim Watts is urging locals to be safe on the roads at Christmas after admitting he received seven speeding fines in six months last year.
The warning coincides with questions being asked about Maribyrnong MP and federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s driving record after he sideswiped a number of parked cars and was caught on video using his mobile phone while driving.
Documents seen by Star Weekly show Mr Watts exceeded the speed limit – by less than 10 kilometres an hour on each occasion – seven times between July 21 and December 20, 2014.
“Members of Parliament aren’t perfect, and I’ll put my hand up here, and be open and honest with my constituents,” Mr Watts said.
“I haven’t had any since and I paid for all of them personally.”
Mr Watts admitted he’d had a bad period of driving, but he did not offer a reason for his speeding. He also recorded a speeding fine in June 2013.
In a wide-ranging, end-of-year interview, Mr Watts also gave Mr Shorten his full support, despite a dire approval rating of 14 per cent last week.
BILL SHORTEN
“There’s no doubt being Opposition leader is the hardest job in Australia,” he said. “He [Shorten] is somebody who never shies away from a challenge. If you’d asked me after the last federal election if we could be where we are now … I think it’s been an extraordinary achievement.”
Mr Shorten last week apologised after he was caught on camera using his phone while driving. The Labor leader was shown in an August 23 video holding his phone while driving at 40km/h along Kings Way.
“I made a mistake. I take the matter seriously; it was wrong to do and there’s no good excuse so I won’t offer one. It’s wrong, and I’ve apologised,” he told a press conference.
“No one is above the law. The whole Labor Party has zero tolerance for wrongdoing – beyond that I can’t add any more.”
The Labor leader said he did not remember why he was using his phone while he was behind the wheel but could not rule out that he was texting.
The witness who recorded the footage said he decided to share the video after hearing that Mr Shorten last month crashed into a number of cars in North Carlton. Victoria Police issued Mr Shorten with a $218 fine over the North Carlton incident.
He paid a $455 fine and lost four demerit points for using his mobile, and also donated to Road Trauma Support Services.
with Benjamin Millar
