10/8/01
Western Australia drivers could face demerit point penalties for certain traffic offences that they commit in other States under proposed changes to legislation.
Announcing the changes today, the Minister responsible for Road Safety, Michelle Roberts, said WA had now become part of a National Demerit Point Register.
Mrs Roberts said the move to a national register would ensure consistency across Australia.
"Drivers who apply for a licence in another State will have the demerit points accrued recorded against their new licence," she said.
"The same applies for drivers' licences that are suspended. If you lose your WA licence, you must wait until that suspension period is over before you can obtain a licence from any other State."
Mrs Roberts said the National Demerit Points Register was one of a number of initiatives being undertaken to bring consistency to driver licensing regulations across Australia.
"We have already introduced the National Driver Licensing Scheme, which is making the roads safer by more closely linking demonstrated driving skills to the type of vehicle that can be driven under a particular class of licence, especially where heavy vehicles are concerned," she said.
"This has also delivered efficiency benefits as well, minimising differences in requirements across States and allowing easier transfer of licences for people moving between States.
Mrs Roberts said the changes hinged on road safety, a priority and an election commitment for the State Government.
"If you look at our record in the past six months, our Government has already achieved far more than the previous Court Government did in eight years," she said.
"We have committed to introducing a 50kmh speed limit in residential areas by the end of the year, banned the use of hand-held mobile phones in cars and are making the 40kmh speed limit around schools highly visible."
Media contact: Mark Thompson on pager 9482 4648
