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A report from the New South Wales Auditor General has called for the removal of warning signs before mobile speed cameras, arguing they "reduce the perceived risk of detection"...
Australia's automotive industry has received a boost this week, with Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews, announcing a $5 million investment to help graduate engineers kick-start their careers. While local manufacturing is no more, numerous vehicle manufacturers and other firms rely on Australian workers for automotive engineering, research and development, along with design...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack today announced the establishment of a new Office for Future Transport Technologies, launched through a $9.7 million investment...
L-Plate drivers in Victoria will be able to log their 120 hours using a new 'digital log book app' from early next year. The myLearners app and website is being put through its paces by 110 drivers in a trial by the TAC and Victorian Labor Government, ahead of a launch early in 2019. Supervisors approve driving hours through the app or using a website, doing away with the paper logbook entirely...
Carbon Revolution, supplier of lightweight wheels to Ford Performance and Ferrari, will grow its staff and warehouse space in Geelong, as it prepares to ramp up production. The extra 500 employees will almost triple the brand's workforce, and push its annual production capacity from 10,000 to more than 150,000 wheels...
Owners of vehicles still fitted with the most dangerous 'alpha' Takata airbag inflators won't be able to register their car in South Australia from November 1. The move is the first of its kind in Australia, and will be enforced by the South Australian Registrar of Motor Vehicles...
Nissan Australia has announced it has been awarded a grant from the Victorian Government to fund its research project on electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, in partnership with the CSIRO and Delta Energy Systems. A sum of $210,000 has been approved from the New Energy Jobs Fund, and will help Nissan and its research partners look into off-grid charging infrastructure for EVs, and will run for 18 months...
The growing popularity of car-sharing apps like Car Next Door and Carhood has piqued the interest of the Australian Tax Office (ATO), which is calling on owners to learn the tax implications of the services. According to the ATO, renting your car through 'sharing economy' apps makes you eligible for certain deductions, but not everything can be claimed...
New laws will lock in how revenue raised by Victorian speed cameras is used to maintain the state's roads, thanks to new legislation from the Labor Government. All money raised from speeding fines handed out by mobile and fixed cameras, along with on-the-spot police monitoring, is currently put into a 'Better Roads Victoria Fund' reserved for road upgrades...
Collingwood and Fitzroy residents in Melbourne will be subjected to a 30km/h speed limit trial from 'late September', as Yarra Council seeks to make life easier for pedestrians and cyclists in residential areas. The new limits, which are a first in Australia, will be applied to the residential zone bordered by Alexandra Parade, Hoddle, Johnston and Nicholson streets...
Cost of living is still forefront of mind right now, but a new study has found Melbourne and Sydney residents are more concerned about congestion than ever before. A study of almost 1000 inner-city residents found traffic was fourth on the current list of concerns, but it was the biggest forward-looking concern among respondents...
New South Wales motorists will need to slow to 40km/h as they pass emergency services on the side of the road, as part of a road rule trial kicking off on September 1. Drivers moving in both directions on undivided roads are impacted by the rule, and face a $448 fine and three demerit points if they don't comply...
The upcoming Senate Inquiry into electric vehicles will meet today meet with the Electric Vehicle Council in Melbourne, ahead of formal written submissions closing on July 27. Led by South Australian Senator, Tim Storer, the inquiry will investigate the "economic, environmental and social benefits" of widespread electric vehicle adoption Down Under, using a Bloomberg report claiming 50 per cent of global new car sales will be electric as part of his inspiration...
The Federal Government has increased the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold for the 2018-19 Financial Year, bumping it to $66,331. An increase of $1237 on the 2017-18 value, the $66,331 threshold applies to vehicles that use more than 7.0L/100km on the combined cycle. Vehicles categorised as 'fuel efficient' – that use less than 7...
A new Committee on Electric Vehicles has been formed in the Australian Senate, with the goal of lending "much needed momentum and leadership" to the push for electric cars Down Under. Headed by Tim Storer, Independent Senator for South Australia, the committee will explore the "economic, environmental and social benefits" widespread adoption of electric vehicles could offer for Australia...
The Greens are calling for road toll fines to be capped in Victoria, amid a growing backlog of cases in the Magistrate's Court. Under the proposed legislation introduced to Victorian Parliament last week, motorists won't be hit with more than one road toll fine per week, regardless of how many trips they make...
Women in Saudi Arabia are now allowed to drive themselves, after the nation's ban on female drivers lifted over the weekend. A royal decree issued by King Salman in September – but reportedly pushed by his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in the lead up – lifted the world's last ban on women driving, but the new rules didn't come into force until Sunday, June 24...
Infrastructure Australia has renewed calls for a user-pays congestion charge, taking aim at the Federal Government for its inaction over the traffic choking our major cities. The body's latest report, a follow-up to its 2016 Infrastructure Plan, says the government "signalled its support for [the user-pays] proposal" in November 2016 but "no inquiry has been forthcoming" since, and called for it to "move forward on this important opportunity for reform"...
Buyer incentives are key to driving electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Australia, according to a new study commissioned by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)...
Behyad Jafari, CEO of Australia's EV Council, has lamented the partisan nature of the electric vehicle conversation Down Under, and called for Federal Government support to kickstart the market. Speaking with CarAdvice this week, Jafari said international investors are "stumped" when they realise Australia hasn't taken proper action on electric vehicles, and argued the issue "isn't really contentious anywhere else"...
