Tuesday, 2 May 2023

 Melissa HORNE (Williamstown – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Local Government, Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Roads and Road Safety) (14:31): I rise to update the house on the Andrews Labor government’s commitment to making rego free for Victorian apprentices and providing cost-of-living relief to Victorian drivers. We will deliver on our election commitment to making vehicle registration and TAC charges completely free for our hardworking apprentices. This will put more than $700 back into the pocket of each Victorian apprentice each year so they can focus on getting the skills they need for the jobs that they want instead of finding the cash to pay for their rego. This will build on the work that we have already done to halve rego costs for 12,000 apprentices across the state. From bricklayers to carpenters, sparkies to plumbers, tradies rely on their vehicles to get to and from each job, and this should not be an extra cost for them – and under this government it will not be.

But that is not all that we are doing. We know that bills to keep the car on the road are bills that we just have to pay, so this government is softening the blow to the household budget where we can. Thanks to the work of the former minister for roads, we have already slashed a range of other fees, including 25 per cent off rego renewal fees for drivers with a clean safety record, rewarding good driving behaviour for over 200,000 people and saving them $7.8 million in total. We are making learners and hazard perception tests free, saving new drivers over $5 million. We have also cut fees for P-platers, reducing licence issue fees to absolutely nothing. That is a huge win for the family budget. The members for Wendouree, Ringwood, Pakenham and Laverton know just too well how important this is, with some of the busiest VicRoads testing centres in their electorates. It is all part of the Andrews Labor government’s work to relieve the cost-of-living pressures, putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of Victorians.