All the road changes coming from July 1
Nationally, mobile detection will be enhanced further with the assistance of AI-powered surveillance cameras being rolled out across the country.
These cameras will be able to detect and identify drivers who are using, holding or touching their mobile phones behind the wheel.
Those who are caught driving while using their phone – even while stopped at the traffic lights – can be fined up to $1209 and lose up to five demerit points.
Sweeping new speed limit changes will also be implemented across many states from July 1 following an increase in road deaths. NSW drivers will pay a price for using their phones while behind the wheel. NewsWire / Damian Shaw Credit: News Corp Australia
NSW
Drivers who fail to wear a seatbelt will face higher penalties as the state introduces further surveillance from July 1.
Existing mobile phone detection cameras will also start to detect those not wearing seatbelts.
On average, 15 per cent of road fatalities in NSW involve a lack of seatbelts. According to the NSW government, 150 people died between 2019 and 2023 while not wearing a seatbelt.
NSW will also scrap ticketless parking fines – which were introduced during the pandemic – after drivers complained they were being hit with infringements without physical notices. Mobile detection cameras will be implemented across the state to catch those not wearing seatbelts. NewsWire handout Credit: NewsWire
Victoria
From July 1, changes to road rule 79A will require drivers in Victoria to slow down to 40km/h when approaching and passing by any slow-moving (10km/h or lower) or stationary police, emergency or escort vehicles. The new rule now includes any tow trucks or incident response vehicles that are flashing red, yellow, blue or magenta lights or sounding an alarm.Previous rules only applied to emergency and law enforcement vehicles. The expansion of the road rule 79A applies to all road types, including freeways.
Failure to comply may result in a noncompliance fine of $346 and a maximum fine of $961, though there is no loss of demerit points. Drivers will now be forced to slow down when emergency vehicles, incident response vehicles and tow trucks drive by with sirens and flashing lights. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia
Queensland
There will be a 3.4 per cent increase in car registration and fines for Queenslanders from July 1.
The former Labor government's freeze on registrations and fines, which was set to be in place until September 2025, will be scrapped from July.
Fines are set to increase for speeding, mobile phone and seatbelt violations.
Speed limits will also reduce from 50km/h to 40km/h in tourist-driven areas across the state, including sections of the Hervey Bay Esplanade and its surrounding areas. Speed limits will be reduced across much of the country from July 1. NewsWire / Daniel Pockett Credit: News Corp Australia
South Australia
South Australian drivers will be forced to slow down to 25km/h when passing by a roadside or breakdown recovery vehicle flashing amber lights.
This new rule only applies to vehicles on multi-lane roads and will not apply for vehicles travelling on the other side of the road.
Failure to slow down may result in a fine of up to $1648 and the loss of up to seven demerit points. Fines will also be increased across parts of the country. NewsWire handout Credit: NewsWire
Western Australia
Speed limits on roads in certain parts of WA will also be significantly reduced in response to the state's road toll.
On sealed roads west of the Bussell Highway, speed limits will be reduced from between 80km/h and 100km/h to 70km/h.
Speed limits on major urban roads will also be reduced from 70km/h to 60km/h in built-up areas, including Bayview Drive entering Gracetown.
In the area between the Margaret River and Prevelly, speed limits of between 70km/h to 110km/h are set to be reduced to 60km/h.
Drivers in the Augusta town centre and surrounding streets will have to obey a 40km/h speed limit due to high pedestrian activity.
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Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Judgment day for Brittany Higgins
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NewsWire / Sharon Smith Credit: News Corp Australia The posts were critical of Ms Reynolds' handling of Ms Higgins' allegation she was raped in the senator's office at Parliament House in 2019 by her then-colleague Bruce Lehrmann. He was charged with rape and faced trial in 2022, but the trial was aborted due to juror misconduct. The charge was dropped and Mr Lehrmann continues to maintain his innocence. Mr Lehrmann lost a subsequent civil defamation case in April last year when the Federal Court determined, on the balance of probabilities, that Mr Lehrmann had raped Ms Higgins at Parliament House. He is appealing the decision. Private text messages and emails between federal ministers, senators, staffers, press gallery journalists and lawyers were laid bare during the five-week blockbuster trial last year. Ms Higgins' defence team called for the action to be dismissed entirely at the end of the high-stakes legal battle. Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz sold the French chateau they called home to pay for legal fees. Credit: Supplied Ms Reynolds, who has retired from politics, mortgaged her home in a bid to clear her name. Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz sold their French home to pay for legal fees, as she maintained her version of events about what happened to her at Parliament House. It was revealed Ms Reynolds was seeking more than half a million dollars in damages. Her lawyer Martin Bennett asked the court to 'nail the lies' Ms Higgins allegedly perpetuated after making her rape allegation public in 2021. The court was told Ms Higgins 'grossly defamed' her former boss in social media posts shared years later. Ms Higgins' defence lawyer Rachael Young said it was a series of events in 2021 that led to the then-Senator Reynolds' distress and reputational damage, not social media posts created by her client two years later. Ms Young argued Ms Reynolds' decline was caused by backlash from her referring to Ms Higgins as a 'lying cow', a senate grilling over the allegations, her hospitalisation, losing the defence ministry and missing out on a shadow ministry under Peter Dutton. Ms Higgins' defence lawyer Rachael Young argued it was a series of events in 2021 that led to Ms Reynolds distress and reputational damage, not social media posts created by her client two years later. NewsWire / Sharon Smith Credit: News Corp Australia She said the former senator tried to besmirch the people she blamed for her political demise, namely Ms Higgins, who continued to face the heaviest burden in all this. Two dozen witnesses were called to give evidence including former prime minister Scott Morrison. A who's who of the nation's parliament, media and legal circles were dragged into the proceedings as diary entries, minutes and communications between senators, staffers, journalists, police officers and lawyers were exposed in court. The trial centred around what happened in the aftermath of Ms Higgins speaking out about her alleged rape in a article and The Project interview that were published on February 15, 2021, two years after the alleged incident. Ms Reynolds' lawyer Martin Bennett argued in court statements that Ms Higgins made in those media interviews and in her personal injury claim were wrong and that she had lied. Former senator Linda Reynolds lawyer Martin Bennett argued every fairytale needs a villain. NewsWire / Sharon Smith Credit: News Corp Australia He said his client had been cast as a villain in Ms Higgins and Mr Sharaz's fictional story that alleged Ms Reynolds had tried to cover-up a rape. 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The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Lost trust prompts swift overhaul for childcare checks
Childcare workers will no longer be able to retain their clearance when authorities move to cancel it after a snap review laid out gaps exploited by predators. The six-week review of Victoria's childcare sector was triggered by Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown being charged over the alleged sexual abuse of eight children at a centre in Point Cook. Brown held a working with children check and worked at 24 childcare sites across the city before his arrest in May. Parents' trust in the system has been "horribly broken" since police lifted the lid on the alleged abuse in early-July, Premier Jacinta Allan said. "To every family who has been hurt by these most horrific of allegations, I am truly sorry," she told reporters after the review's release on Wednesday. The rapid review made 22 recommendations, including a major overhaul of the state's working with children check regime. The Victorian government has vowed to introduce legislation to state parliament next week to immediately suspend clearances while reassessments are finalised. Under the change, workers who have their clearance refused, revoked or suspended will lose their review rights at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said some workers were currently entitled to retain their check for 28 days when appealing the decision. "It doesn't happen in all situations but in some it does," she said. People under investigation for serious offences can still hold a permit to work with children in Victoria. The rapid review suggested checks be suspended or refused when there are "credible allegations or patterns of behaviour" with children. The trail of information that can identify a predator's behaviour sits in too many places, with "breadcrumbs" and "red flags" missed. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed serious flaws in the scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Ms Allan deflected responsibility over the state government's failure to act on that report, pointing out she wasn't premier at the time. "I wasn't involved in those previous decisions," she said. Victoria's working with children check regime, along with the reportable conduct scheme, will be brought together under the same roof of the social services regulator. The shift will be accompanied by a doubling of unannounced compliance visits under a standalone childcare sector regulator and harsher penalties for breaches. "No matter how hard we try to keep predators out, some will get through," said the review, led by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and veteran public servant Pamela White. The review, however, stopped short of calling for mandatory CCTV in all childcare state facilities, suggesting a national trial instead. It also didn't recommend Victoria go it alone on staff to child ratios, calling for a national review to consider introducing a "four eyes" rule of two adults visible to each other. All recommendations were accepted by the state government, with Ms Allan committing to roll out the reforms within the next 12 months and a $42 million sector funding boost. But many were directed squarely at the federal government as part of national reforms with states and territories. The sector has undergone rapid growth over the past decade without a "coherent plan" and removing "bad actors" cannot wait for longer-term work, the review said. Victoria was urged to share the review with the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions ahead of education ministers meeting on Friday. Attorneys-general have already agreed people banned from holding a working with children check in one jurisdiction will be banned in all under reforms to be in place by the end of 2025. OTHER KEY RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE RAPID REVIEW: * Create a national early childhood reform commission * Accelerate a national early childhood worker register * Establish a process for high-quality providers to take over a cancelled service * Trial CCTV in early childhood education and care settings across the nation * Improve lines of sight in centres through a federally funded program 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Childcare workers will no longer be able to retain their clearance when authorities move to cancel it after a snap review laid out gaps exploited by predators. The six-week review of Victoria's childcare sector was triggered by Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown being charged over the alleged sexual abuse of eight children at a centre in Point Cook. Brown held a working with children check and worked at 24 childcare sites across the city before his arrest in May. Parents' trust in the system has been "horribly broken" since police lifted the lid on the alleged abuse in early-July, Premier Jacinta Allan said. "To every family who has been hurt by these most horrific of allegations, I am truly sorry," she told reporters after the review's release on Wednesday. The rapid review made 22 recommendations, including a major overhaul of the state's working with children check regime. The Victorian government has vowed to introduce legislation to state parliament next week to immediately suspend clearances while reassessments are finalised. Under the change, workers who have their clearance refused, revoked or suspended will lose their review rights at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said some workers were currently entitled to retain their check for 28 days when appealing the decision. "It doesn't happen in all situations but in some it does," she said. People under investigation for serious offences can still hold a permit to work with children in Victoria. The rapid review suggested checks be suspended or refused when there are "credible allegations or patterns of behaviour" with children. The trail of information that can identify a predator's behaviour sits in too many places, with "breadcrumbs" and "red flags" missed. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed serious flaws in the scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Ms Allan deflected responsibility over the state government's failure to act on that report, pointing out she wasn't premier at the time. "I wasn't involved in those previous decisions," she said. Victoria's working with children check regime, along with the reportable conduct scheme, will be brought together under the same roof of the social services regulator. The shift will be accompanied by a doubling of unannounced compliance visits under a standalone childcare sector regulator and harsher penalties for breaches. "No matter how hard we try to keep predators out, some will get through," said the review, led by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and veteran public servant Pamela White. The review, however, stopped short of calling for mandatory CCTV in all childcare state facilities, suggesting a national trial instead. It also didn't recommend Victoria go it alone on staff to child ratios, calling for a national review to consider introducing a "four eyes" rule of two adults visible to each other. All recommendations were accepted by the state government, with Ms Allan committing to roll out the reforms within the next 12 months and a $42 million sector funding boost. But many were directed squarely at the federal government as part of national reforms with states and territories. The sector has undergone rapid growth over the past decade without a "coherent plan" and removing "bad actors" cannot wait for longer-term work, the review said. Victoria was urged to share the review with the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions ahead of education ministers meeting on Friday. Attorneys-general have already agreed people banned from holding a working with children check in one jurisdiction will be banned in all under reforms to be in place by the end of 2025. OTHER KEY RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE RAPID REVIEW: * Create a national early childhood reform commission * Accelerate a national early childhood worker register * Establish a process for high-quality providers to take over a cancelled service * Trial CCTV in early childhood education and care settings across the nation * Improve lines of sight in centres through a federally funded program 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Childcare workers will no longer be able to retain their clearance when authorities move to cancel it after a snap review laid out gaps exploited by predators. The six-week review of Victoria's childcare sector was triggered by Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown being charged over the alleged sexual abuse of eight children at a centre in Point Cook. Brown held a working with children check and worked at 24 childcare sites across the city before his arrest in May. Parents' trust in the system has been "horribly broken" since police lifted the lid on the alleged abuse in early-July, Premier Jacinta Allan said. "To every family who has been hurt by these most horrific of allegations, I am truly sorry," she told reporters after the review's release on Wednesday. The rapid review made 22 recommendations, including a major overhaul of the state's working with children check regime. The Victorian government has vowed to introduce legislation to state parliament next week to immediately suspend clearances while reassessments are finalised. Under the change, workers who have their clearance refused, revoked or suspended will lose their review rights at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said some workers were currently entitled to retain their check for 28 days when appealing the decision. "It doesn't happen in all situations but in some it does," she said. People under investigation for serious offences can still hold a permit to work with children in Victoria. The rapid review suggested checks be suspended or refused when there are "credible allegations or patterns of behaviour" with children. The trail of information that can identify a predator's behaviour sits in too many places, with "breadcrumbs" and "red flags" missed. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed serious flaws in the scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Ms Allan deflected responsibility over the state government's failure to act on that report, pointing out she wasn't premier at the time. "I wasn't involved in those previous decisions," she said. Victoria's working with children check regime, along with the reportable conduct scheme, will be brought together under the same roof of the social services regulator. The shift will be accompanied by a doubling of unannounced compliance visits under a standalone childcare sector regulator and harsher penalties for breaches. "No matter how hard we try to keep predators out, some will get through," said the review, led by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and veteran public servant Pamela White. The review, however, stopped short of calling for mandatory CCTV in all childcare state facilities, suggesting a national trial instead. It also didn't recommend Victoria go it alone on staff to child ratios, calling for a national review to consider introducing a "four eyes" rule of two adults visible to each other. All recommendations were accepted by the state government, with Ms Allan committing to roll out the reforms within the next 12 months and a $42 million sector funding boost. But many were directed squarely at the federal government as part of national reforms with states and territories. The sector has undergone rapid growth over the past decade without a "coherent plan" and removing "bad actors" cannot wait for longer-term work, the review said. Victoria was urged to share the review with the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions ahead of education ministers meeting on Friday. Attorneys-general have already agreed people banned from holding a working with children check in one jurisdiction will be banned in all under reforms to be in place by the end of 2025. OTHER KEY RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE RAPID REVIEW: * Create a national early childhood reform commission * Accelerate a national early childhood worker register * Establish a process for high-quality providers to take over a cancelled service * Trial CCTV in early childhood education and care settings across the nation * Improve lines of sight in centres through a federally funded program 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Childcare workers will no longer be able to retain their clearance when authorities move to cancel it after a snap review laid out gaps exploited by predators. The six-week review of Victoria's childcare sector was triggered by Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Dale Brown being charged over the alleged sexual abuse of eight children at a centre in Point Cook. Brown held a working with children check and worked at 24 childcare sites across the city before his arrest in May. Parents' trust in the system has been "horribly broken" since police lifted the lid on the alleged abuse in early-July, Premier Jacinta Allan said. "To every family who has been hurt by these most horrific of allegations, I am truly sorry," she told reporters after the review's release on Wednesday. The rapid review made 22 recommendations, including a major overhaul of the state's working with children check regime. The Victorian government has vowed to introduce legislation to state parliament next week to immediately suspend clearances while reassessments are finalised. Under the change, workers who have their clearance refused, revoked or suspended will lose their review rights at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said some workers were currently entitled to retain their check for 28 days when appealing the decision. "It doesn't happen in all situations but in some it does," she said. People under investigation for serious offences can still hold a permit to work with children in Victoria. The rapid review suggested checks be suspended or refused when there are "credible allegations or patterns of behaviour" with children. The trail of information that can identify a predator's behaviour sits in too many places, with "breadcrumbs" and "red flags" missed. A 2022 Victorian ombudsman report exposed serious flaws in the scheme after former Melbourne City Mission worker Alexander Jones was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2018. Ms Allan deflected responsibility over the state government's failure to act on that report, pointing out she wasn't premier at the time. "I wasn't involved in those previous decisions," she said. Victoria's working with children check regime, along with the reportable conduct scheme, will be brought together under the same roof of the social services regulator. The shift will be accompanied by a doubling of unannounced compliance visits under a standalone childcare sector regulator and harsher penalties for breaches. "No matter how hard we try to keep predators out, some will get through," said the review, led by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and veteran public servant Pamela White. The review, however, stopped short of calling for mandatory CCTV in all childcare state facilities, suggesting a national trial instead. It also didn't recommend Victoria go it alone on staff to child ratios, calling for a national review to consider introducing a "four eyes" rule of two adults visible to each other. All recommendations were accepted by the state government, with Ms Allan committing to roll out the reforms within the next 12 months and a $42 million sector funding boost. But many were directed squarely at the federal government as part of national reforms with states and territories. The sector has undergone rapid growth over the past decade without a "coherent plan" and removing "bad actors" cannot wait for longer-term work, the review said. Victoria was urged to share the review with the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions ahead of education ministers meeting on Friday. Attorneys-general have already agreed people banned from holding a working with children check in one jurisdiction will be banned in all under reforms to be in place by the end of 2025. OTHER KEY RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE RAPID REVIEW: * Create a national early childhood reform commission * Accelerate a national early childhood worker register * Establish a process for high-quality providers to take over a cancelled service * Trial CCTV in early childhood education and care settings across the nation * Improve lines of sight in centres through a federally funded program 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Sky News AU
5 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘I am truly sorry': Premier Jacinta Allan has promised to overhaul Victoria's childcare system after damning review
Premier Jacinta Allan has promised to overhaul Victoria's troubled childcare system after a damning review found major changes were needed to ensure children's safety. The Allan government's Rapid Child Safety Review, released on Wednesday, has handed down 22 recommendations while outlining a strict 12-month timeline for much needed improvements across multiple areas. The review, undertaken by former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill and veteran public servant Pam White, was launched following shocking allegations of abuse by a Victorian childcare worker came to light in July. Responding to the review on Thursday, Premier Allan acknowledged the system 'simply isn't working'. 'Parents must be able to drop their children off at childcare, knowing they will be encouraged to play and learn — trusting they will be safe. That trust has been horribly broken,' Ms Allan said. 'To every family who has been hurt by these horrifying allegations, I am truly sorry. You put your trust in a system, and that system let you down. 'As a mum, I cannot begin to imagine that pain. But as Premier, I can do everything in my power to act.' The Victorian government has accepted all 22 recommendations and has announced immediate action to create a new independent regulator, boost funding to the sector by $42 million, and massively overhaul the state's Working With Children Check (WWCC) system. The WWCC system been the target of intense criticism since July with revelations emerging last week that a childcare worker who had been blacklisted from the industry in 2020 over accusations of grooming, kissing toddlers, and attempting to organise unsanctioned catch-ups, still had a valid working WWCC. The rapid review recommended major changes to the WWCC, which found the system was 'not fit-for-purpose' and needed to be 'rebalanced in favour of child safety'. Among the biggest flaws highlighted was the inability for childcare workers to be stripped of their WWCC without a formal criminal charge, conviction or finding of guilt. The review not only recommended making it easier for childcare workers to have their WWCCs suspended or cancelled on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations, but also changes to allow police and child protection authorities to share unsubstantiated information to enable action to be taken. It also recommended the removal of the ability for those accused of misconduct to appeal the decision to VCAT, with this being replaced by an internal review process with child safety experts responsible for all decisions. Many of the concerns about the WWCC system were previously recommended by former Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass. And following the release of the rapid review, the Director of the Australian Catholic University's Institute of Child Protection Studies said that while action from the government was welcome, the findings 'do not tell us anything new'. 'Disappointing that it took such high-profile horrific incidents of abuse involving vulnerable children for the spotlight to finally be shone on these long-running safety gaps in early childhood education and care,' Professor Daryl Higgins told the Herald Sun. Professor Higgins said the government needed to match its words with actions. 'We need to match the strong verbal commitments of the Victorian Government today with real and urgent action to implement these recommendations,' he said. Shadow Education Minister Jess Wilson said the fact the government had not acted sooner showed a 'failure of leadership'. 'What is clear from today's review is that the government has delayed obvious, urgent action to keep children safe in this state,' she said. 'They have been warned for years that the system is not up to standard, that it is not keeping children safe, and it is failing to ensure that those who should not be working with children are not in the system and working with children.' Ms Wilson pointed out the Liberal and National parties had introduced legislation to improve the WWCC system three weeks ago and it had been voted it down by the government. 'As a consequence of not passing those laws last in the last sitting period, there are individuals now still holding active working with children, checks in this state that should not be that pose a risk to children,' the shadow minister said. 'Had the premier, had the government worked constructively with the opposition, that would not be the case.'
