14-05-2025
P-platers outraged over raft of strict driving changes - but there's a catch
Young Aussies are furious after learning the newly elected Albanese government was set to introduce a raft of stricter regulations for provisional drivers.
P-plater drivers took to TikTok this week to share their thoughts on the new rules rumoured to come into effect this August.
The rules include no driving after 11pm, a blanket ban on hands-free phone usage, an increase in fines and demerit points, and more roadside patrol stops for P-Platers.
Provisional drivers would be limited to one passenger and learner drivers would need to complete 150 hours of instructed driving instead of the original 120.
The backlash was swift on social media with one driver saying they 'shouldn't have voted for Albo'.
'Yeah let's target the kids who can barely afford to make a living and charge them double the price of a fully licensed driver,' another said.
'Albo screwed us,' one newspaper columnist recounted her son telling her.
The only problem was, there's no such rule changes on the way. The original article that prompted the social media outrage was fake news, that appeared to have come from an obscure foreign website.
While some said the stricter road rules for P-Platers were common sense, given the disproportionate rate of accidents, other commenters were wary from the outset.
'I'm not trusting any of this until an official government website comes out with this info,' one savvy viewer said.
'The federal government doesn't even control driving laws,' another pointed out.
Road rules in Australia are determined by state and territory laws.
The National Transport Commission's Australian Road Rules model law, is a suggested approach, but the laws do differ between states.
It provides no guidelines for learner or provisional drivers.
There are some changes for P1 and P2 license holders being considered in 2025 but they actually loosen the rules.
Victoria could lower the age for provisional license holder from 18 to 17 so it is in line with other states. And in NSW P-Platers aged over 25 are set to be allowed to use phones places in a cradle as a navigational tool.
