Huge warning over Musk’s latest Aus move
Elon Musk’s latest move in Australia promises to radically change our everyday lives but experts are worried some of its biggest dangers are being ignored.
More than 50,000 Australians will soon be able to activate Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system, but government officials have privately warned the system is “extremely advanced” and risks drivers becoming over-reliant.
The warning, contained in an April 2025 briefing from Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads and obtained by News Corp under Freedom of Information, said the system could cause motorists to become “complacent” while still being held full accountable for crashes.
“While it is an ADAS system, it is extremely advanced and brings the risks of drivers becoming complacent or over-reliant on the system while still being liable,” the email stated.
The email thread revealed that the department is preparing media communications to emphasise that drivers must “monitor the vehicle at all times, be ready to intervene, and remain responsible for any traffic infringements or incidents that occur due to the actions of the FSD system.”
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Tesla recently renamed the system Full Self Driving (Supervised) in an attempt to make clear that, despite its advanced capabilities, the driver must still remain in control at all times.
Under global definitions set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Tesla’s FSD (Supervised) is categorised as a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), the same category as lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control.
Level 2 systems can control steering and speed simultaneously, but the human driver must remain in charge, monitoring the environment and intervening instantly if required.
Australia has no dedicated approval process for self-driving technology.
Automakers self-classify their systems under international standards, and as long as the underlying vehicle meets the Australian Design Rules, which regulate minimum safety standards such as braking, steering and stability.
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A spokesman for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts said the ADRs are designed to regulate specific road safety risks where proven technical standards already exist.
“In recent years this has included adopting the United Nations (UN) Regulations for Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) and leading on work to introduce new UN Regulations for Emergency Lane Keep Systems and Driver Drowsiness and Distractions systems,” a spokesman said.
They added that the ADRs “don’t regulate all aspects of a vehicle’s feature or design” to allow for innovation and avoid unnecessary regulatory burden.
“The Australian Government will continue to work with state and territory governments to set appropriate ADRs for the safe operation of road vehicles in our communities,” a spokesman said.
The National Transport Commission is developing a framework for Level 3 and above, but it won’t be released until 2026.
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Originally published as Huge warning over Musk’s latest Aus move
