Page 727 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 5 April 2022
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another jurisdiction to lawfully drive on ACT roads where it is temporarily in the ACT, as the term “temporarily” presents some ambiguity. This ambiguity has meant that some people are moving to the ACT and garaging their vehicles here for extended periods of time but without transferring over their registration and insurance to the ACT.
The bill introduces a three-month period that a vehicle can be garaged at an address in the ACT before an ACT registration is needed to continue to drive on our roads. This change continues to support visitors to our territory and, where required, gives reasonable time for a person to obtain an ACT registration. Requiring vehicles that are garaged in the ACT to be under the ACT’s registration and third-party insurance schemes benefits safety in the community, as it ensures that as many vehicles as possible are subject to the same requirements for roadworthiness and have the same coverage in the event of an accident.
The bill recognises the transient nature of defence force employment and introduces an exemption to the requirement for defence personnel to transfer their vehicle to an ACT registration. The exemption applies to a vehicle registered in the name of a member of the defence force or their eligible families.
The last set of amendments in the bill supports the government’s work to encourage the uptake of zero emission vehicles by protecting dedicated charging spaces for these vehicles. Tackling climate change is an important focus of our government and the Canberra community. Reducing transport emissions from private vehicles is key to this objective. As Ms Clay mentioned, around 60 per cent—I think it has gone up to 63 per cent—of our emissions profile is transport.
To make it easier for people to find a place to charge electric vehicles, as the fleet of electric vehicles grows over time, this bill introduces two offences to protect the availability of electric-powered vehicle parking and charging stations. The first offence prevents the use of electric vehicle parking bays by non-electric vehicles, ensuring that these spots are only available to EVs. The second makes it an offence to park in a charging bay without using the charging facility, ensuring that EV drivers do not just take advantage of charging spots as a convenient place to park. Of course, when they are plugged in and are taking a little bit too long, the charge is finished, they are slugged by the minute, I think, depending on the charging facility.
Both offences attract an infringement notice penalty of $125, which is consistent with similar parking penalties. The bill also introduces an additional 30 minutes to the maximum parking time limit indicated on electric vehicle parking signs for mobility parking scheme authority holders. The additional time maximises electric vehicle parking availability while still providing additional time for those that need it.
In summary, the bill supports a number of key government commitments and strategies. It supports a safer road network by introducing a new offence for driving or riding certain transport modes, including bicycles or personal mobility devices, on road-related areas while under the influence of alcohol or drugs to such an extent that proper control is not maintained. It updates the offence for using certain transport modes, including a bicycle or PMD, under the influence of alcohol or drugs on a road to reflect the serious harms that these users can cause to themselves and others.
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