Getting the coveted red P-plates is stressful enough for young drivers without them having to worry about whether there will be anyone available in remote Cape York and Torres Strait communities to actually issue a driver’s licence, says editor Lyndon Keane. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
If you want an example of how utterly disconnected our city-based decision makers are with the realities of remote living, you only need to look at the farcical situation facing young drivers in Cooktown.
In what galaxy of common sense should those transitioning from their learner’s permit to the coveted red P-plates genuinely be expected to wait months or make a round trip of up to 800 kilometres for the privilege?
Can you imagine the indignance if learners in Cairns were told they needed to travel to Townsville to complete their practical driving test, the last hurdle to motoring freedom after chalking up the mandatory 100 hours of supervised driving? The furore in Brisbane would be overwhelming if drivers there had to head north to Bundaberg to finally be rid of their yellow L-plates.
The truth is the Cairns and Brisbane scenarios would never happen, because society has the expectation essential services – and we can include licencing in this for several key reasons – are generally available locally. It’s only in places like Cape York expectation must be thrown out the window and alternative strategies put in place.
One of the key reasons I mentioned is the fact getting your driver’s licence is a rite of passage for every Australian teenager. That unforgettable moment when you swap yellow and black for red and white, turn the key – well, press the start button more often than not these days – and bid farewell to whichever saint was patient enough to put up with you for those 100 supervised hours behind the wheel. It’s also the moment you make a solemn promise to yourself to avoid any future situation involving a hill start in a manual vehicle.
Another key reason local access to licencing services is critical in a place like Cooktown is because, unlike our city cousins, we have zero public transport options. The much-hyped 50-cent fares for buses, trains and ferries down south are about as helpful as the proverbial on a boar pig up here – if you haven’t got a licence, one can only hope you’ve got a comfortable pair of shoes for commuting between point A and B.
Zero public transport options mean you’re beholden to friends and family to get around, whether it’s to a job, or a social adventure like bundling your mates into a car to go and watch the Northern Pride battle the Wynnum Manly Seagulls on Saturday afternoon. I spoke to one Cooktown resident who had to knock back a job because they couldn’t get their licence for months, and a local parent who was making multiple trips into town each weekend to chauffeur licence-eligible children to and from part-time employment.
It’s not just Cooktown experiencing uncertainty around licencing services. I’ve had calls from several Cape York residents and business operators pulling their hair out at the seemingly perpetual fight between the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and police about who should be delivering services in remote communities.
The dispute shouldn’t even be a thing, because it’s blatantly clear TMR has the statutory responsibility for the provision of licencing and registration services in Queensland. If the department doesn’t feel compelled to have a permanent local presence and qualified staff in place to offer the services, it needs to ensure police have the financial and physical resources to step in on TMR’s behalf as a courtesy to the community. Passing the buck isn’t an alternative. This head-in-the-sand handball wouldn’t be acceptable in Cairns or Brisbane, so the fact the department is telling Cooktown residents to basically suck it up is, if I may be what my late grandmother would have called vulgar, taking the piss.
I made several attempts to get Minister for Transport and Main Road Bart Mellish’s thoughts on the untenable situation last week, but he was evidently too busy puffing wind into the sails of pre-election promises across the state to focus on a genuine drama caused by his department’s contempt for remote Queenslanders.
