We petition Parliament and State Transport Authorities to reform the Learner (L-plate) driver licensing framework. The current system allows completely unvetted, unlicensed parent/peer supervision to fulfill mandatory logbook hours, passing down dangerous habits, poor lane etiquette, and bad parking practices to new generations of drivers. We demand that a mandatory portion of practical driving hours be completed exclusively with qualified, professional driving instructors, alongside standardised training on vehicle control, lane discipline, and road efficiency.

Key Demands for Reform

Mandate Professional Instruction Hours: Require a compulsory minimum number of practical driving hours to be completed directly with certified, professional driving instructors before progressing to Provisional (P1) licences.

Remove Unregulated Peer Supervision for Core Skills: Restrict informal parent/peer supervision to basic mileage practice only after core competency modules (parking, lane discipline, technical driving) have been certified by an instructor.

Standardise Essential Technical Competencies: Integrate mandatory practical training on vehicle mechanics, vehicle size/dimension spatial awareness (specifically for heavy/SUV vehicles), precise parallel and reverse parking, and dynamic lane etiquette.

Promote Traffic Efficiency to Reduce Emissions: Require driver education to teach dynamic, systematic driving principles—reducing unnecessary braking, improving traffic flow, and cutting fuel waste instead of relying on passive marketing campaigns.

Statement of Context: Why Action Is Needed

Australia’s current driver training model is fundamentally flawed. Allowing learner drivers to complete their entire practical logbook sitting next to parents who may be distracted, unskilled, or passing along decades of ingrained bad habits directly undermines road safety and traffic efficiency.

The real-world consequences of this system are visible on our roads every day. We see new drivers unable to accurately judge vehicle size, struggling with basic parking maneouvers, failing to keep left, and driving inefficiently in heavy traffic. In an era where vehicle sizes are increasing and congestion is rising, relying on casual, unvetted supervision is a risk to public safety.

Instead of spending tens of millions of dollars on public awareness campaigns urging people to save fuel or drive safely, the government must address the root cause. Teaching proper, systematic driving techniques through certified professional instructors builds confident, skilled drivers, improves overall traffic flow, and naturally reduces fuel consumption and congestion. It is time to modernise Australia's driver training standards to match international best practice.