APY Lands, Driver Education

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Will the minister please provide an update on the driver education programs changing lives in the APY lands?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Autism) (15:06): I thank the member for their question and interest in the important driving program supporting people in the APY lands. During our recent country cabinet visit to the APY lands, I met with a couple of wonderful women called Amy and Jade who are part of the dedicated team changing lives in the region with the On the Right Track driving training program.

On the Right Track first hit the road in February 2015. Back then, fewer than one in five people over the age of 16 living in the APY lands had a driver's licence or learner's permit. Now, 10 years later, about 60 per cent of the community over the age of 16 living across the 16 communities hold a driver's licence or a learner's permit. The past decade has seen more than 3,500 people access On the Right Track for licensing and road safety services. More than 1,400 learner's permits and 700 provisional licences and hundreds of proof of age cards have been issued along the way.

Over the last 10 years, the program has extended to other areas as well. A team of five staff now work across 16 communities, stretching across the vast area of the APY lands and also into the Flinders Ranges, Ceduna and Coober Pedy. In 2020, the program was expanded to include the installation of child seats in cars, and more recently it has expanded to include heavy vehicle training, which has seen seven people become qualified to drive trucks, further boosting employability and participation, with some going on to drive the local garbage truck as well.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are over-represented in fatalities and crash statistics. According to the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are up to three times more likely to be killed in a road crash than non-Aboriginal people. But this program is about much more than just driving. On the Right Track is helping people get photo identification and learn the road rules. It provides road safety education and gives isolated communities access to a pathway without barriers to work and to be independent.

Funded by the state government, the On the Right Track program has been expanded as part of an ongoing commitment to Aboriginal road safety. The program's long-term goal is simple: fewer lives lost on the road, more people driving safely, confidently and legally. On the Right Track has been about bridging the gap between two systems, one built on forms and procedures and the other grounded in culture, ceremony and community practices. It was built from the ground up with Aboriginal people on country and within their community.

Amy and Jade and their entire team are making a real difference to the lives of people across remote areas of our state. It was easy to see the trust that the community had in this team. They were actually seen as rock stars around the community. It was a slow process: everywhere we went we had to stop because everyone wanted to talk to Jade and Amy. I want to say a big thank you to them and congratulations on achieving 10 years of this incredible program.