❓ The Minister for Transport provides an update on the Driving Access and Equity Program, highlighting its success in assisting young people in regional and remote WA to obtain driver's licences and access employment opportunities. The program is being expanded to additional regions.
AnsweredQoN 388Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
DRIVING
ACCESS AND EQUITY PROGRAM
388. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's efforts to
address youth unemployment in regional areas. Can the minister update the house
on how the driving access and equity program is creating opportunities for
young people in regional and remote WA, and
please advise the house on whether there are any plans for the program's
expansion?
ACCESS AND EQUITY PROGRAM
388. Ms D.G. D'ANNA to the Minister for Transport:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's efforts to
address youth unemployment in regional areas. Can the minister update the house
on how the driving access and equity program is creating opportunities for
young people in regional and remote WA, and
please advise the house on whether there are any plans for the program's
expansion?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for this question. Access to drivers'
licences is a major issue for regional Western Australians, particularly in
remote areas. As the member will recall, when we visited the Kimberley last
year, one of the key issues raised was that
a lot of young people want to get work and be involved in our record spending
on road projects in regional Western Australia,
for example. They want to be involved in our record expenditure on road
maintenance projects, but not having a driver's licence is a key
impediment. We also had the skills summit at the end of last year, at which we
identified lack of access to a driver's licence as a key factor in
people not getting jobs.
In some remote areas of regional Western Australia, people do
not have access to vehicles and may not have access to the required hours of supervised driving. We needed to go in and
assist them, and we have. We have allocated an initial $5 million to this program, starting in the Kimberley. We have
provided $3.5 million in grants to the Kimberley and the Pilbara.
Organisations have indicated that they will work with more than 1 000
disadvantaged learners, and we hope that that will result in more than 500
drivers' licences. We have already assisted with the purchase of 24
vehicles, expanded three Regional Youth Driver Education programs to help
people complete their 50 hours of supervised
driving, and we are training people with certificate IV qualifications in
driving instruction to allow people to learn to become driving
instructors. In March, eight people in Broome successfully completed that
qualification, and seven people in Kununurra
are currently undertaking that training. That includes the first three female
Aboriginal participants in the course.
We have also doubled the number of remote services driver
officers in the Kimberley, Pilbara and midwest, and that is delivering results.
Since January, 130 driving assessments have been conducted, resulting in
licences for more than 70 people, unlocking employment opportunities throughout
this area. We are very pleased to announce that we are going to expand this
program into the midwest, Gascoyne and goldfields–Esperance regions. A
further $2.4 million in grants is available
for eligible community-based organisations. We will be working with
organisations throughout those areas and expanding the Department of
Transport's presence.
This is all about
practical, on-the-ground initiatives, working with local existing providers,
councils and, for example , the Broome Police and Community Youth Centre.
We are working with groups that are already out there, helping to support them to get young people to get drivers'
licences. This means a pathway into connections and, importantly , a pathway to work. I think this will be a key
success story of what we are doing in remote and regional Western Australia .
We are helping young people get employed locally as a result of our work on
transport and road projects and by being part of the new Main Roads presence
throughout regional WA.
licences is a major issue for regional Western Australians, particularly in
remote areas. As the member will recall, when we visited the Kimberley last
year, one of the key issues raised was that
a lot of young people want to get work and be involved in our record spending
on road projects in regional Western Australia,
for example. They want to be involved in our record expenditure on road
maintenance projects, but not having a driver's licence is a key
impediment. We also had the skills summit at the end of last year, at which we
identified lack of access to a driver's licence as a key factor in
people not getting jobs.
In some remote areas of regional Western Australia, people do
not have access to vehicles and may not have access to the required hours of supervised driving. We needed to go in and
assist them, and we have. We have allocated an initial $5 million to this program, starting in the Kimberley. We have
provided $3.5 million in grants to the Kimberley and the Pilbara.
Organisations have indicated that they will work with more than 1 000
disadvantaged learners, and we hope that that will result in more than 500
drivers' licences. We have already assisted with the purchase of 24
vehicles, expanded three Regional Youth Driver Education programs to help
people complete their 50 hours of supervised
driving, and we are training people with certificate IV qualifications in
driving instruction to allow people to learn to become driving
instructors. In March, eight people in Broome successfully completed that
qualification, and seven people in Kununurra
are currently undertaking that training. That includes the first three female
Aboriginal participants in the course.
We have also doubled the number of remote services driver
officers in the Kimberley, Pilbara and midwest, and that is delivering results.
Since January, 130 driving assessments have been conducted, resulting in
licences for more than 70 people, unlocking employment opportunities throughout
this area. We are very pleased to announce that we are going to expand this
program into the midwest, Gascoyne and goldfields–Esperance regions. A
further $2.4 million in grants is available
for eligible community-based organisations. We will be working with
organisations throughout those areas and expanding the Department of
Transport's presence.
This is all about
practical, on-the-ground initiatives, working with local existing providers,
councils and, for example , the Broome Police and Community Youth Centre.
We are working with groups that are already out there, helping to support them to get young people to get drivers'
licences. This means a pathway into connections and, importantly , a pathway to work. I think this will be a key
success story of what we are doing in remote and regional Western Australia .
We are helping young people get employed locally as a result of our work on
transport and road projects and by being part of the new Main Roads presence
throughout regional WA.
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