Driving Access and Equity Program in Australia

Deadline: 7-Nov-22

The Department of Transport (DoT) is now accepting applications for its Driving Access and Equity Program to help organisations and projects that help disadvantaged learner drivers, particularly those in regional Western Australia, get their driver’s licence.

Objectives

• The projects being proposed should achieve one or more of the following four objectives:
  • Provide access to appropriately licensed vehicles to allow learner drivers to complete supervised driving hours, receive professional instruction or attempt a practical driving assessment. 
  • Provide access to suitably licensed driving supervisors and instructors.  
  • Deliver program/s that help overcome local issues and costs that prevent people from obtaining their driver’s licence. 
  • Provide improved access to driver licensing services. 

Outcomes

• The following outcomes will be used as measures to evaluate how effective the grant activities are in achieving the program objectives. Project proposals do not have to deliver on all program objectives or outcomes however, proposals that assist beneficiaries to complete all six steps to get their licence will be viewed favourably. 
• The six steps to getting your licence
  • Learner's permit: Pass eyesight and theory test, and submit required documentation to be issued your learner's permit.
  • Learn to drive: Take driving lessons and log hours in the Log&Learn app or Learner Log Book.
  • Hazard Perception Test: Sit the Hazard Perception Test after 6 months of holding a learner's permit.
  • Gain more driving experience: Log at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 5 hours at night.
  • Driving Test: Sit the practical driving assessment.
  • Provisional driver's licence: Provisional driver's licence issued for the first 2 years.

Eligibility Projects

• The provision of grants is to be used for projects and initiatives that achieve the programs stated objective and can include:
  • providing beneficiaries access to theory testing services; 
  • providing beneficiaries access to a vehicle for supervision, instruction, and/or a practical driving assessment; 
  • establishing a driving instruction business, or employing a driving instructor, where no such service, or access to such a service exists, is limited or is not culturally appropriate; 
  • providing beneficiaries access to volunteer supervisors, providing the volunteer supervisor is exempt from the requirements of Section 5(1) of the Motor Vehicle Drivers Instructors Act 1963;
  • assisting beneficiaries with the costs associated with obtaining a driver’s licence where no other funding or subsidy is available; and
  • other projects that provide local solutions to local barriers that stop people completing the driver licensing process. This could include, but is not limited to, culturally appropriate service provision and the production of culturally appropriate learning materials. 
  • A project that delivers activities an organisation has previously delivered or is currently delivering will NOT be considered UNLESS it expands the current reach to new locations or new beneficiaries (potential licence applicants).

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for a program funding grant, applicants must:
  • be a legal entity capable of entering into a legally binding and enforceable financial assistance agreement (Grant Funding Agreement) with the Western Australian State Government. 
  • have an Australian Business Number (ABN). If your organisation has an ABN and is registered for GST, the grant will be ‘grossed up’ by 10% of the grant amount;
  • be incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 2015 (WA), or an Indigenous organisation under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI), or a local government or a company limited by guarantee or an Educational Institution;
  • have an account with an authorised deposit-taking institution (an Australian financial institution or bank) registered with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority;
  • maintain proper financial records and record keeping practices in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and practices, including retention of invoices, receipts, bank statements, and reconciliations of bank balance, receipts, and expenditure; 
  • maintain appropriate and sufficient insurance cover for the duration of the project. A certificate of currency of insurance/s for the coming year should be provided upon application, noting:
    • for Public Liability Insurance, a minimum value of $10 million per claim or occurrence giving rise to a claim is required; and 
    • workers compensation insurance in accordance with the provisions of the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 1981 (WA), including cover for common law liability for an amount of not less than $50 million for any one occurrence is required. 
  • ensure all proposed employees and volunteers who will engage with beneficiaries have a current National Police Certificate and Working with Children Card;
  • ensure all proposed employees and volunteers comply with health directions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic; and 
  • ensure all proposed volunteers for supervising driving meet the requirements to be a supervising driver.
  • The following organisations are eligible to apply:
    • Local Government Authorities
    • Community organisations
    • Educational Institution
    • Not for profit organisations
    • Corporations
    • Businesses or organisations that provide access to driving supervision or instruction. 

Note: Joint proposals from organisations to deliver project/s that assist beneficiaries to complete all six steps to get their licence will be viewed favourably.

For more information, visit Driving Access and Equity Program.

For more information, visit https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/projects/grant-guidelines.asp