Following calls from the Liberal Nationals for VicRoads to resume testing ASAP, today’s announcement from the Andrews Labor Government fails to provide any immediate relief to Victorians waiting patiently to get their licence.
The Andrews Labor Government’s announcement that testing will resume with new staff and temporary testings centres to open is cold comfort for Victorians waiting for a driving test as there are no firm dates on when the backlog will be cleared.
Despite claims Victorians who have had tests cancelled will be prioritised, based on Labor’s announcement today, there won’t be a real increase in appointment availability for many months.
The Andrews Labor Government has wilfully ignored the repeated calls of the Liberal Nationals to extend opening hours and open on weekends – two initiatives that will significantly reduce the backlog.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Road Safety and the TAC, Brad Battin:
“This announcement has failed 100,000 people waiting for a licence test and provides no guarantees about when they will be able to get their licence.
“Opening new testing centres and hiring 200 new staff, with no timeline or commitment to clear the backlog by a set date, proves more spin than action for young people who will continue to wait.
“Daniel Andrews should be extending the opening hours of testing centres and also operate on weekends – this will help work through this huge backlog.”
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Rural Roads, Roma Britnell:
“The VicRoads offices in regional Victoria that only offer driving tests one or two days a week must have their capacity increased to work through this massive backlog as soon as possible.
“The State Government needs to guarantee that testing centres in regional Victoria are allocated extra staff so they can extend testing to help clear the backlog as a matter of priority.”
