National licence for truckies

AUSTRALIA'S truckies will come under one national registration and licensing scheme from July next year, with every other driver in the country likely to follow suit soon after.

The nation's transport ministers yesterday agreed to cut the red tape and costs associated with eight different registration systems for Australia's fleet of 375,000 heavy vehicles.

The changes will also impose the same standards to qualify for a licence on the one in 10 drivers who are truckies, federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said.

"This long overdue reform is about delivering on the Rudd Labor Government's commitment to modernising our century-old federation and building a seamless national economy for the 21st century," he said.

The remaining nine out of 10 Australian drivers are also in line for similar changes. The transport ministers will consider a report in November on how to bring them under a single registration and licensing system.

At present, drivers have to get a new licence each time they move state, with licence conditions - especially age and other limits on learner-drivers and P-platers - changing at the border.

Registration fees charged also vary widely, as do the manner of their calculation, between jurisdictions.

Other, more difficult recommendations presented at the meeting, including those aimed at cutting the transport sector's emissions, were referred for further investigation.

Western Australia's plan for a mandatory carbon emissions standard for vehicles and low carbon fuels rated a mention in the final communique.

The communique skirted around the controversial issue of congestion taxes on city car drivers. The ministers agreed only on the need for a "comprehensive study" on the matter.

Siobhain Ryan | May 03, 2008 | The Australian

This story represents the first step to national vehicle licences and national vehicle registration?

BTW what has this got to do with property?

The question remains whether any of us will see a National Property Register in our lifetime. I asked a colleague if there was the political will to do so, on a scale of 1 to 10 how hard would it be? He said, yes technically it would be possible, and degree of difficulty - probably a 5