From 4 September 2010 new laws for Learner and Provisional Drivers apply. If you do not have a current Learner’s Permit at that time you will need to comply with new and increased conditions to get your Provisional Licence.

Learners’s Permits

If you do not obtain your learners permit until after 4th September 2010 you will be required to have 75 hours of supervised driving time (previously 50), including 15 night time hours, and you will not be able to obtain your Provisional licence for 12 months (previously 6 months) if you are under the age of 25.  Drivers that are over 25 years old must hold their Learner’s permit for 6 months only. This will mean that the earliest age that a driver will be able to get their Provisional licence, after 4th September, will be 17 years.  

Other changes from 4th September 2010 that will apply to all drivers with a Learner’s Permit are:

• Speed limit will increase to a maximum to 100 km/h where Speed signs permit (previously limited to 80 km/h).
• Not displaying L-Plates will incur 2 demerit points and $250 fine (currently an automatic permit disqualification).

Provisional Drivers Licence

If you do not obtain your provisional drivers licence (P1 or P2) before 4th September 2010, and you are under 25 years of age, you will not be able to drive high powered vehicles.  These vehicles are considered to be as follows:

• That means:  

• Vehicles with engines of eight or more cylinders
• Vehicles with turbocharged or supercharged engines (excluding diesel powered vehicles)
• Vehicles that have been modified to increase engine performance
• Nominated high performance vehicles, including BMW M & M3, Honda NSX, Nissan 350Z & 370Z, all post 1994 Porsches and the Mercedes Benz SLK350.

View the list of excluded vehicles (PDF 65Kb).  Penalties could include a $250 fine plus 3 demerit points, but could be as much as $1,250 if you go to court.

Other changes from 4th September 2010 that will apply to all P1 drivers are:

• Not displaying P-plates will incur a loss of 2 demerit points and a $250 fine.

Exemptions may be approved in special circumstances (eg. if a high-powered vehicle is required for your job). 

Disqualified Drivers

If you are disqualified from driving you must go back a licence stage and if you return to driving after 4th September 2010 the new rules for that licence stage will apply to you. 

If you return to driving on a learner’s permit you will need to hold your permit for an additional 3 months - a total of 15 months if you are under the age of 25 or a total of 9 months if you are 25 years or older.  You will also need to complete 75 hours of supervised driving experience (including 15 night hours).  Any hours that you have already recorded will count towards those hours.

If you return to driving on a new provisional licence (P1 or P2), and you are under 25 years of age, you will not be able to drive high powered vehicles (see list under Provisional Driver’s Licence).  Penalties could include a $250 fine plus 3 demerit points, but could be as much as $1,250 if you go to court.

A Safer Driver Agreement may be offered to provisional drivers facing disqualification for breaching their licence conditions or accumulating four or more demerit points (unless it is a serious disqualification offence). This option will replace the right to appeal to the court against the disqualification.  If returning to driving after a serious disqualification offence on, or after, 4th September 2010 you must not drive with passengers, other than the required qualified supervising driver between midnight and 5am.

• Drivers that have been disqualified before 4th September 2010 and obtain a Provisional Drivers Licence on, or after, the 4 September will be subject to the new rules. 

If you break any of the P-rules you could get a fine, demerit points, be disqualified from driving or have to go to court.