Drivers Licence Replacement
Page: 18457
Mr GEORGE (Lismore) [5.34 p.m.]: I appreciate the comments of the Minister for Tourism. She is right that we have to keep supporting tourism in New South Wales. This afternoon I wish to speak on behalf of Christinne Judd, who had her licence stolen. One has to have a licence to get around and enjoy tourism. When I speak about Christinne Judd and the loss of her licence, I am sure I am speaking on behalf of many constituents of New South Wales who have faced the same problem. I ask the Minister for Roads, and Minister for Transport to have the Roads and Traffic Authority [RTA] look at this problem.
When Christinne found that her purse had been stolen from her bag she reported it to the local police station. Her first step had been to immediately cancel her credit card and cards associated with banks. Being a responsible adult she kept her drivers licence in her purse. When her purse was stolen she lost her licence, so she notified the RTA. This is when her problems started. She was unable to obtain a proper licence as the extract of her birth certificate had her maiden name on it. The RTA required proof of change of name. She had to send to Melbourne, where she was married, to obtain a copy of her marriage certificate. Even though she is now separated she retained her married name and had to apply to Melbourne at a cost of $20.30. She was unable to supply the RTA with the number of the licence. She had it on one of her records at work but she was locked out of the office at the time and could not get it.
Upon receipt of the marriage certificate she approached the RTA to be reissued with a proper drivers licence but she was informed that the extract of the birth certificate was not accepted. She had to get the original. Consequently, she had to send to Melbourne again to obtain the original birth certificate, which cost another $20.30. She was able to access her bank accounts on the working day following her purse being stolen. She was able to reinstate her credit rating the next day but to get her licence was a nightmare. This indicates serious flaws in the system of obtaining a licence. I am not pushing to give out licences willy-nilly, but if one is able to reinstate one's credit rating at a bank overnight surely in these days of modern technology we should be able to be reissued with drivers licences. Trying to get these certificates caused Christinne a lot of anxiety. Thank goodness her licence had three months to run. Had it expired during this time she would have faced further problems.
I call on the Minister to ask the RTA to adopt a simple method that does not require photo identification, perhaps a points system similar to that used by banks to establish identity to open bank accounts using electricity, telephone and other bills in one's name. When people renew their drivers' licences the RTA should encourage them to keep their old photograph licences. Had my constituent kept her old drivers licence she would have been able to get a new licence immediately. However, when she renewed her licence she was not told to retain her old licence. It should be part of the RTA system that when people renew their licences they keep their old licences in a safe place so that they have a simple way out of this difficult situation.
Ms NORI (Port Jackson—Minister for Small Business, and Minister for Tourism) [5.39 p.m.]: I am happy to pass on the concerns of the honourable member for Lismore to the Minister for Transport who is responsible for the RTA. While I am not familiar with all the details of what one must go through to get a replacement drivers licence, I point out that a drivers licence is often the baseline or threshold form of identity that allows people to prove who they are to open a bank account or, more importantly, to obtain a passport. So as a form of identification a drivers licence probably carries more weight than other forms of identification. The reality is that the RTA must be extremely vigilant in these circumstances.
I am happy to pass on some of the honourable member's suggestions because there may be a better way of doing it. As usual, the concerns and restrictions are prompted not by honest people but because of the actions of the potentially dishonest. If a drivers licence is issued without sufficient identification, if it is issued willy-nilly and is then used to form the basis of identification that allows a person to get a passport or open a bank account in a false name, one can understand why the RTA carries probably a greater level of responsibility in this respect than the banks. The honourable member said that the woman was able to access her bank accounts.
It is possible that the bank manager knew who she was. At worst, at the end of that day a person would not be able to withdraw more than a certain amount of money each day, and if the bank got it wrong the worst that would happen is that it would lose a couple of hundred dollars. That is not good. However, if the wrong person is given false identification, that may set off a chain of events that could have serious ramifications. However, I take on board what the honourable member said. I will pass on his suggestions to the Minister to see whether we can come up with something that helps honest people in these difficult circumstances.