Michael Ferguson,Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Enhancements to Tasmania’s Graduated Licensing System will come into effect next month, aligning us with other jurisdictions in ensuring our young and novice drivers enjoy a lifetime of safe driving.
The changes will improve safety, streamline the process of getting a licence and save up to $189 per driver.
It will mean fewer visits to Service Tasmania, fewer licence cards and fees, and additional assistance to help novice drivers achieve their mandatory logbook hours – including free lessons funded by the State and Federal Governments.
An awareness campaign, Plates Plus: Safer driving for life was launched earlier this month, highlighting that the enhancements are about more than just getting your L and P plates – they’ll also enable new drivers to develop the lifelong knowledge and skills they need to ensure they’re safe on the road.
The pathway also now includes an Enhanced P1 Pilot, under which the Tasmanian Government is providing more options for novice drivers to obtain their provisional licence, and reduce wait times for assessments – especially in regional areas.
An additional 12 qualified driving instructors from the private sector are now authorised to deliver P1 assessments. Importantly, these extra assessors can conduct tests seven days a week. This more than doubles the number of private assessors, boosting the number of spots available and in more locations around the State.
In recognition of the significant impact of COVID-19 on Tasmanian small transport operators, funding of $9.75 million was provided to eligible businesses under the Business Vehicle Registration Relief Package. We have provided business vehicle registration relief to over 500 businesses for approximately 3,500 vehicles.
We also supported the hire and drive sector through the COVID-19 crisis by either cancelling or temporarily freezing vehicle registrations. The Government provided assistance for more than 5,000 vehicles, representing over 60 per cent of the entire Tasmanian hire and drive fleet.
A range of measures were also implemented to ensure community access to essential services, by keeping taxis on the road during and after the COVID-19 restrictions. We waived the annual administration fee payable by taxi operators with a total benefit to industry of $407,000.
Additionally, we:
- Extended the maximum allowable operating age of taxis
- Cancelled the annual tender for the release of owner-operator taxi licences
- Deferred the passenger transport service operator accreditation audits for six months, and
- Waived or froze the registration fees for 307 taxis.
