Driving Change: Wunan helps overcome barriers to licences in the Kimberley
The biggest obstacle to getting her driver's licence for Kununurra woman Rose Lewis was simply getting behind the wheel.
With no family car, the road to 50 hours of supervised driving — and her licence — seemed like a long and winding one.
But East Kimberley Aboriginal organisation Wunan changed that by offering her driving lessons from her workplace at its head office where she was employed as a receptionist.
'I never had a car for a long time like my family didn't, and so the drivers would actually pick me up from my work and take me out, which is really great,' she said.
Ms Lewis is one of 1,637 people across WA who have obtained their driver's licence through the Department of Transport's driving access and equity program.
DAEP supports people who face barriers in the licensing process to obtain their driver's licence, develop safe driving habits and improve their employment opportunities.
Many learner drivers struggle to obtain a licence because they do not have regular access to a vehicle to complete the required 50 hours of supervised driving, or they can't afford a driving instructor to teach them.
The DAEP provides grants to community-based organisations to deliver projects on the ground, improving access to appropriately licensed vehicles, driving supervisors and instructors and providing road rules education and assistance with identity documents.
Assistant transport minister Jessica Stojkovski said the program did not just offer participants the keys to a car.
'The keys are actually to opportunity,' she said
'Getting your driver's licence, it's not just your photo and details on an ID. It's the capacity to be able to go out and get a job.
'Also the work Wunan are doing along with the driving instructing is important. That is, getting some of those health checks done, making sure that their vision and their hearing is good, working through any illiteracy issues as well.'
Ms Stojkovski said some family and domestic violence refuges were referring women to Wunan to obtain their driver's licences so they can have greater access to services and job opportunities.
'I think the impact of this program is widely felt,' she said.
Almost $26 million in grant funding has been delivered through the program to 29 organisations across WA since it was established in 2022.
That includes five organisations in the Kimberley with 1,258 people participating in the program and, so far, 488 licences being issued.
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West Australian
3 days ago
- West Australian
Driving Change: Wunan helps overcome barriers to licences in the Kimberley
The biggest obstacle to getting her driver's licence for Kununurra woman Rose Lewis was simply getting behind the wheel. With no family car, the road to 50 hours of supervised driving — and her licence — seemed like a long and winding one. But East Kimberley Aboriginal organisation Wunan changed that by offering her driving lessons from her workplace at its head office where she was employed as a receptionist. 'I never had a car for a long time like my family didn't, and so the drivers would actually pick me up from my work and take me out, which is really great,' she said. Ms Lewis is one of 1,637 people across WA who have obtained their driver's licence through the Department of Transport's driving access and equity program. DAEP supports people who face barriers in the licensing process to obtain their driver's licence, develop safe driving habits and improve their employment opportunities. Many learner drivers struggle to obtain a licence because they do not have regular access to a vehicle to complete the required 50 hours of supervised driving, or they can't afford a driving instructor to teach them. The DAEP provides grants to community-based organisations to deliver projects on the ground, improving access to appropriately licensed vehicles, driving supervisors and instructors and providing road rules education and assistance with identity documents. Assistant transport minister Jessica Stojkovski said the program did not just offer participants the keys to a car. 'The keys are actually to opportunity,' she said 'Getting your driver's licence, it's not just your photo and details on an ID. It's the capacity to be able to go out and get a job. 'Also the work Wunan are doing along with the driving instructing is important. That is, getting some of those health checks done, making sure that their vision and their hearing is good, working through any illiteracy issues as well.' Ms Stojkovski said some family and domestic violence refuges were referring women to Wunan to obtain their driver's licences so they can have greater access to services and job opportunities. 'I think the impact of this program is widely felt,' she said. Almost $26 million in grant funding has been delivered through the program to 29 organisations across WA since it was established in 2022. That includes five organisations in the Kimberley with 1,258 people participating in the program and, so far, 488 licences being issued.
ABC News
21-05-2025
- ABC News
Mount Crosby overpass reopens after truck crashes into bridge on Warrego Highway
The damage bill from a truck crash on a major Queensland highway is expected to run into the tens of millions of dollars, and some warn it could happen again unless upgrades are fast-tracked. A truck carrying parts of a wind turbine struck the Mount Crosby Bridge on the Warrego Highway near Ipswich about 1:40am on Friday, after reportedly failing to follow escort vehicles onto an off-ramp. The crash forced the closure of the highway's westbound lanes for two-and-a-half days, disrupting freight and local traffic. One lane on the overpass reopened Tuesday, but the bridge won't be able to carry heavy vehicles until permanent repairs are completed. A Queensland police spokesperson said investigations into the crash were continuing. Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the community was relieved to see the highway reopen. "There was a lot of anxiety in our community that this was going to take some time to repair," she said. "Our experience with bridge strikes is they can take over a year [to repair]." Ms Harding said she understood the bill would be "at least tens of millions of dollars". "I understand that [the Department of Transport and Main Roads] will be billing the responsible or the liable organisation for that," she said. The Warrego Highway is a major freight highway that links south-east Queensland to Toowoomba, the Darling Downs and Maranoa region. It connects to other highways, connecting to Mount Isa and the Northern Territory and is a major inland freight route. According to TMR, about 30,000 vehicles use the westbound section of the highway every day. Freight industry advocates said the crash was part of a larger problem — a fragile network that can't handle the increasing number of oversized vehicle movements linked to Queensland's energy and construction boom. The truck was carrying parts of a wind turbine bound for a wind farm construction site in south-west Queensland. Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE), which works closely with energy and freight companies as the economic development body for the Darling Downs region, has been campaigning for upgrades to the Warrego Highway for several years. Strategic Partnerships manager Lance MacManus said there were many "inefficiencies" on that part of the highway. "There's been over 2,500 of those heavy traffic movements like that wind tower that we've seen [on the Warrego] since 2019 and we have more to come for wind farms," he said. "We'll probably see that again in the next 18 months. Unfortunately, this was just a really, really public accident." Deficiencies discovered in the nearby Bremer River Bridge forced speed limits to be reduced for all motorists and weight limits introduced for trucks. Oversized heavy vehicles must travel late at night and switch to the eastbound lane when travelling west — closing the highway to all other traffic — and exit and re-enter the highway at the Mount Crosby Bridge due to height restrictions. TMR is currently working on an $85 million project to strengthen the river bridge. Mr MacManus said the detour created added cost for businesses, who he said worked safely and reliably. "The optimal opportunity would be to be able to travel from the Port [of Brisbane] out to site along the Warrego travelling at 80kph with pilot vehicles," he said. "Unfortunately, this [incident] came about because we're trying to create a work around." His colleague, TSBE strategic communications manager Katie Craymer, said it was unknown at this stage when movements would be allowed to return to normal, as current works were just a band-aid fix. "What they're doing at the moment is remedial, they're just trying to keep it up … but it's not going to actually fix it, so even when they finish those remedial works, it's not going to be up to a point where it's going to be better," she said. "It's on life support essentially. "We need visibility to the long-term solution." Ms Craymer said there were many sections of the Warrego Highway, such as the Glenore Grove crossroads in the Lockyer Valley, which get cut off due to flooding, and there was another bridge near Miles that needed urgent upgrades. "The Warrego Highway is actually the second most trafficked highway in Queensland behind the Bruce, so it's not insignificant," she said. She said she wanted to see similar investment as was promised for the Bruce Highway. Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the "lack of detail" around works at the Bremer River Bridge, and planned upgrades to the Mount Crosby Bridge and intersection, needed to be sorted quickly. "So far we don't know when the work's going to start and we don't know when it's going to finish, so there's again a bit of anxiety around our community," she said. Transport Minister Brett Mickelberg said there had been a "considerable effort" by all involved to reopen the highway after the wind turbine crash. "Our focus now shifts to making sure the overpass is restored as quickly as possible," he said. "There is considerable damage to the bridge which has been rectified so that it is safe but it won't be able to carry heavy loads until it is repaired properly." The Department of Transport and Main Roads was contacted for comment.
News.com.au
19-05-2025
- News.com.au
Overpass to reopen days after Warrego Highway wind turbine bridge strike
Authorities say an overpass on a major Queensland highway that was closed after a truck carrying part of a wind turbine slammed into it could reopen within days. The Warrego Highway - west of Brisbane - was thrown into chaos on Friday morning after the bridge strike, which left the turbine part being carried by the truck wedged underneath the Mount Crosby Road overpass at North Tivoli. The turbine has since been removed and westbound lanes of the highway reopened, but concerns lingered about when the overpass would be back to full capacity. Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said on Saturday that the incident was having a 'major impact' for residents and freighting companies moving through the state's southeast, and that the closure of the overpass created a 30-minute detour. 'There's a lot of anxiety in our community about how long it's going to take,' she said as per 9News. 'We have seen other major accidents like this take over a year to be completed, so we're very keen to hear from (the Department of Transport and Main Roads).' The government body soon able to alleviate these fears, confirming to NewsWire that the overpass would reopen before the end of the week on their current timeline. 'The Mount Crosby Road overpass remains closed to traffic, with structural assessments and bridge repairs ongoing,' a TMR spokesperson said. 'Works are continuing to safely reopen part of the overpass to traffic as soon as possible, which may involve speed and load restrictions being put in place, pending the results of the structural assessment. 'This timeline remains dependent on the outcome of structural assessments, weather, safety requirements and construction conditions. 'The public can continue to expect delays, with traffic control in place and warning signs active across the advanced notification network.' Ms Harding has since thanked TMR, police, and Ipswich council workers for their efforts since the bridge strike. 'It took 41 hours from bridge strike to the Warrego opening,' she said. 'TMR will continue to work on repairing the Mount Crosby Road overpass, which remains closed, with at least a partial access opening late this week.' The truck driver, a man in his 50s, was assessed by paramedics at the scene. He was uninjured and has since been taken to Ipswich Hospital for further assessment. Police believe the truck may have failed to follow escorting vehicles up an offramp to go around the Mount Crosby overpass, and instead ploughed into the overhead bridge.
