New South Wales

Sydney drivers have Australia's worst commute, with the average worker spending more than 70 minutes getting to and from work. According to the latest Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, the average Sydney commuter suffers through a 71-minute daily round trip. Brisbane drivers were the second worst-off at 67 minutes, while Melburnians face an average commute time of 65 minutes.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has slammed a proposal from the NSW state opposition to raise stamp duty on vehicles over $100k, describing it as a "tax on a tax". The NSW Labor party last week announced plans to make the state's stamp duty rate the nation's highest, to 7.0 per cent on vehicles prices above $100,000.

Transport for New South Wales has announced a $10 million fund for connected and autonomous vehicle trials, as it looks to ramp up self-driving research within its borders. Released yesterday, the fund is part of a Connected and Automated Vehicles Plan outlining how to create a "sustainable transport system that improves on safety, efficiency and the customer experience" for users.

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.

The New South Wales Government has committed $1.6 million to upgrading the ANCAP Crashlab, which will enable the facility to assess autonomous vehicle safety technologies. Minister for roads, maritime and freight, Melinda Pavey, made the announcement this week, which will support local crash-testing authority, ANCAP, in the testing of driver assistance systems.