$800m computer system that does not exist

VICTORIAN motorists have been stung an annual fee for years for a technology upgrade that never materialised.

Victorian road users are slugged a special levy for a non-existent database.

VICTORIAN motorists have been slugged $800 million over six years for a database that never materialised.

The Herald Sun has revealed that a special levy that was to pay for a new VicRoads database never got off the ground.

A $35 fee introduced by the then Baillieu government in 2012 was added to the cost of registration in Victoria to help pay for developing the technology dubbed RandL.

The special levy remains despite the fact the program was culled in 2015 after a number of issues.

In the time it took to kill off the project, the cost had risen to $100m.

A whistleblower former employee told the Herald Sun that VicRoads is still using the computer system that was in operation before the levy was applied.

VicRoads director of service strategy Jill Fitzroy said the authority was always looking at how to better serve motorists.

Victorian motorists are paying for a service that does not exist.

“We manage more than 23,000km of arterial roads across Victoria, 5.7 million vehicle registrations and more than 4.6 million registered drivers,” she said.

“Registration fees play an important role in delivering the services Victorians expect. Our registration fees remain among the lowest in the country.

“Our new, online portal, MyVicRoads, has improved the way we deliver these essential services by allowing customers to access a range of services in a more convenient way.”

Government spokesman Ben McNair told the newspaper registration fees fund general road maintenance and upgrades.

“Vehicle registration fees fund important upgrades and maintenance to keep our road network safe and reliable for the more than 4.6 million registered drivers across Victoria,” he said.

“VicRoads manages more than 25 million customer transactions every year, many through its hugely successful MyVicRoads platform, which is also funded through registration fees.”

The Victorian opposition has been contacted for comment.

It was envisaged the RandL database would use facial recognition technology and be compatible with the Victorian Police database. The technology used by VicRoads does not have these functionalities.

Originally published as $800m computer system that does not exist