The Forrest Review: driver licensing and barriers to indigenous economic participation

The Forrest Review recommends that all Australian State and Territory Governments “introduce a consistent approach to issuing ‘provisional’ locked licences for people who are unable to drive due to unpaid fines or other traffic infringements, so that they can get and keep a job by being able to drive.” The objective of this measure would be to address barriers to employment experienced by Indigenous people whose driver licences are subject to suspension, cancellation, or other sanction. This report finds that the following measures are already in place at State and Territory level allow people whose licences are subject to suspension to keep their licences, either for employment or any other purpose: 1. the ‘Period of Good Behaviour’ option (under which a driver who has lost all of their demerit points can continue to drive, subject to good behaviour conditions); 2. the ‘Time to Pay’ option (under which a driver can continue to drive while outstanding fines are repaid by instalments). The report finds that there may be scope for State and Territory Governments to raise awareness and improve access for Indigenous people to these options. It also finds that States and Territories should work together to develop national policy principles for Indigenous driver licence service delivery and seek authority for these national policy principles from the Transport and Infrastructure Council. While terminology varies, some State and Territory courts can order the provision of a ‘locked’ licence (that is, a conditional licence issued to a driver for whom a court-ordered suspension or disqualification would cause hardship, such as loss of employment). This report documents the locked licence arrangements in place in each State and Territory. However, because a national approach to these measures would involve action beyond transport policy responsibilities, no findings or recommendations on locked licences are made.

• Record URL:
  https://www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au/items/AP-R537-17
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9781925451566
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Austroads Project SRL2077
• Corporate Authors:

  Austroads

  Suite 2, Level 9, 287 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia
  Sydney, New South Wales   
• Authors:
  • Masterman, A
• Publication Date: 2017-2

Media Info

• Pagination: 29p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Driver licenses; Equity (Justice); Indigenous peoples; Policy; Standardization; State government; Suspensions; Work trips
• Uncontrolled Terms: Policy and planning
• Geographic Terms: Australia
• ATRI Terms: Drivers licence; Equity; Indigenous Australian; Journey to work; Licence suspension; Policy; Standardization; State government
• ITRD Terms: 1500: Confiscation (driving licence); 9136: Equity; GOVERNMENT (NATIONAL)
• Subject Areas: Policy; Society; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01628950
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• ISBN: 9781925451566
• Report/Paper Numbers: AP-R537-17
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 16 2017 10:47AM