Western Australians may soon see more classic cars on our roads, with the McGowan Government introducing a new scheme to encourage car enthusiasts to hit the road in their hot rods more often.
Owners of street rods and vehicles manufactured prior to 1990 will soon have access to a scheme designed to encourage and enable car enthusiasts to license and use their ‘occasional-use vehicles’.
The new Concessions for Classics scheme will reduce licensing costs for eligible vehicles and allow 90 days of road use per annum.
Under the new scheme, participants will receive a 75 per cent reduction in their motor vehicle licence fee, provided the owner of the eligible vehicle is also a financial member of a Department of Transport (DoT) approved motoring club or the vehicle is owned by a DoT approved motoring club.
DoT approved motoring clubs will be required to maintain a record of vehicle use by their members for auditing and compliance with the scheme.
The requirement to be a financial member of a DoT approved motoring club is a fundamental feature of all classic vehicle permit and conditional licensing schemes across Australia.
It encourages club members and DoT approved motoring clubs to comply with their obligations under the relevant scheme and promotes community engagement and participation.
Additionally, the Veteran/Vintage (404) scheme for owners of unmodified vehicles will be modernised mirroring the vehicle use restrictions and motoring club responsibilities of the Concessions for Classics scheme. Concession entitlements and vehicle conditions for vehicles licensed under the Veteran/Vintage scheme will remain the same.
Following discussions with key stakeholders, the McGowan Government plans to extend the proposal to 90 days per annum of road use – 60 days for participation in club sanctioned events and 30 days for personal use, testing, maintenance or repair.
COVID-19 has impacted the implementation of this initiative, however, the legislative changes continue to progress and the Government expects to be able to implement the scheme early next year.
As stated by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
“We want to cut red tape and see more classic cars out of the garage and on our roads.
“Growing up I saw how passionate my own family were about their Monaros and Toranas.
“The scheme is intended to reduce financial burden on classic vehicle owners and to encourage club membership, while stimulating spending in the automotive industries.
“The new scheme will now include 90 days of road use per year and of course will include a 75 per cent discount on the registration for classic vehicles registered to an approved club.
“We hope to make the legislative changes required by early next year and look forward to continuing to work with classic car owners on this scheme.”
