Daniel Andrews dodges questions about driving test backlog amid heated question time
Tensions boiled over in Victorian parliament when the Premier was accused of being “disinterested in young people”.
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Young Victorians trying to get their driver’s licence are being knocked back and told there are “no new bookings being accepted”, according to the state opposition.
Opposition roads spokesman Brad Battin made the claim during question time in Victorian parliament on Thursday and questioned the Premier on how long young people could expect to wait until they could book an appointment with VicRoads.
Daniel Andrews – speaking for the absent roads minister and who has barely been put to task by opposing ministers in question time this week – quipped: “I was starting to think I may not get a question this week.”
He then said: “As a father of an 18-year-old who has not got his hours up yet this is something that is very important not just to my family but to many families across the board.
“We’ve put in place a whole range of different settings, we’ve made extra investments to do more online, to have more appointments.
“It is unavoidable though that when we have for the purposes of keeping families safe …”
But Mr Battin interjected, prompting the Premier to pause and snap: “Well, I’m happy to take the matter on notice then if you’re not interested in the answer.”
Mr Battin then chimed in, claiming Mr Andrews was avoiding the facts and further claiming that in a briefing with VicRoads he had been told it was “unachievable in the near future” for Victorians to book a driver’s licence appointment.
The Premier hit back: “Given the member for Gembrooke is perhaps a little less interested in the answer than he is in stoking division and playing games, I’ll be more than happy to take his matter on notice and I’ll respond in writing.”
But Mr Battin fired back in his supplementary question: “With the Premier’s disinterest in young people trying to get their licence and learner’s permit in Victoria, I ask why thousands of young people who have their learner’s plates, completed their 120 hours are now waiting to get their P-plates?
“With thousands of young people trying to get a job, why are you making it harder by denying them the opportunity to get a driver’s licence?”
Mr Andrews reeled off the devastating impacts of COVID-19 across the globe and told Mr Battin to “look around”.
“We’ve had to make changes, safety is important … we’ll not be cutting corners on this, we’ll be doing this properly.”
Driving tests resumed across regional Victoria in September, while tests started back in metropolitan Melbourne on Wednesday after the city moved to the third step of the COVID-19 road map.
The VicRoads website states priority will be given to all customers whose appointments were postposed on March 25 and again on July 8 when severe lockdown restrictions came into force.
In June, extra VicRoads staff were being hired to deal with a backlog of 100,000 licence tests.
That figure is expected to be much higher, with Melbourne’s second lockdown coming to an end just this week.
Originally published as Daniel Andrews dodges questions about driving test backlog amid heated question time