Latest news with #roadrules
ABC News
2 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Why electricity prices are set to rise
Tomorrow is the start of a new financial year and with it comes a raft of changes: new laws, new road rules, and new household bills. Unfortunately for many of us, electricity is one thing that's about to get more expensive. Ellen Coulter explains why.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Major road rule changes coming into effect across Australia from today
Several road rule changes are being introduced in Australian states and territories from today, July 1, with tougher penalties and new speed limits designed to crack down on dangerous driving behaviours. From increased fines for mobile phone use and speeding offences, to new obligations when passing roadside assistance vehicles, in some cases, non-compliance could cost hundreds and trigger licence suspensions. Drivers in multiple states are being urged to brush up on the new rules — or risk paying the price. From July 1, Victoria will require drivers to slow to 40 km/h when passing roadside assistance vehicles, including tow trucks, breakdown support and incident response units — as long as flashing lights are activated and workers are visible. The penalty: a fine of up to $961, but no demerit points. In high-pedestrian areas and school zones, there's also been a recent push to slash the speed limit to 30 kilometres per hour. Little-known road rule with $600 fine shocks Aussie drivers Drivers warned major road rule change with $961 fines 'weeks' away Road rule warning after driver cops $1,775 fine, 22 demerits in one go Starting today, NSW will apply average speed cameras to light vehicles — including cars and motorbikes — at two high-traffic locations. The cameras, already in place for heavy vehicles, will be active on a section of the Hume Highway in the state's south, and on a 15km stretch of the Pacific Highway on the Mid North Coast. A grace period with warning notices has been running since May 1, 2025, but enforcement with fines will begin from July 1. NSW is phasing out ticketless parking fines, addressing concerns over drivers unknowingly receiving fines without physical notices. As of July 1, Queensland is introducing a 3.5 per cent increase to fines across a range of offences, including speeding, seatbelt violations and mobile phone use. Distracted driving will be a particular focus, with enhanced enforcement tech and a tougher approach to infringement. Queensland is set to reduce speed limits from 50 to 40 km/h in select tourist and residential areas, including the Hervey Bay Esplanade and various urban neighbourhoods. South Australia's latest road rule change requiring drivers to slow down to 25 km/h when passing stationary breakdown service vehicles displaying flashing amber lights came into effect on May 19. The change extends the current protections for emergency vehicles and is part of a broader safety campaign. While no changes are coming in on July 1 in WA, road users in the state should be across some new initiatives recently launched. AI-powered cameras have begun detecting speeding, seatbelt non-compliance, and phone use, with enforcement to begin after a warning period concludes later this year. A three-year trial reducing speed limits on hundreds of roads in Augusta–Margaret River continues after it began in 2025 to improve safety in high-risk regional areas. Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that fines for some traffic offences in WA would increase from July 1. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- ABC News
The new financial year is here and with it comes several law changes. Here's what to know
The new financial year is here and with it comes new laws, rules and payments that will effect Australian families and businesses. Here's a breakdown of all the changes coming your way from July 1. There are several changes to Australian road rules that will come into effect on the first day of July. Nationally, AI-powered surveillance cameras will be rolled out across the country to detect use of phones while driving. There will also be new speed limits for many states in response to increased road deaths. In Queensland, there will be a 3.4 per cent increase in car registration and fines. In New South Wales, drivers will face higher penalties if they fail to wear a seatbelt. In Victoria, drivers will be required to slow down to 40 kilometres per hour when approaching or passing by a slow-moving (less than 10 kilometres an hour) or stationary police, emergency or escort vehicle. Failure to comply will result in a maximum fine of $961. In Western Australia, speed limits on several roads will be significantly reduced in response to the state's road toll. You can see what roads here. South Australian drivers will be forced to slow down to 25kph when passing breakdown recovery vehicles. Failure to slow down could result in fines of up to $1,648. From the first of July, the minimum wage will go up by 3.5 per cent. Millions of Australian workers will get a 3.5 per cent pay rise from July 1, following the Fair Work Commission's (FWC) annual review of the minimum wage and award agreements. The commission's decision increases the national minimum wage to $24.95 per hour or $948 per week, based on a full-time, 38-hour working week. The amount of parental leave pay available to families will increase to 120 days (24 weeks) for children born or adopted from July 1, 2025. This will increase to 24 weeks for children born or adopted after July 1 next year, and to 26 weeks in 2026. It's estimated about 180,000 families receive the support each year. The following will also increase: The number of days you get is based on the date your child is born or comes into your care. If you submit a pre-birth claim before July, your parental leave pay days balance will be 110 days. If your child is adopted from July 1 2025, the government will add an extra 10 days once it receives document proof of the adoption or birth. There are a couple of changes coming for superannuation on July 1. The guarantee rate which is the percentage of a salary an employer must pay to their employees' superannuation account — will increase from 11.5 to 12 per cent. The minimum SG rate employers must pay for each eligible employee from July 1, 2024 is 11.5 per cent of their ordinary time earnings (OTE). This is scheduled to progressively increase to 12 per cent on July 1, 2025. In three states, power prices are set to go up. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) will raise power prices for many people in New South Wales, South Australia and South East Queensland. It announced what's called a Default Market Offer for the next financial year. Changes in pricing will depend on where you live and you can check what that will be here. It will depend on which state you're in, which power company you go with and what plan you're on. So we can't give a definitive answer on that — but, by looking at the DMO figures, we can give you a general idea for the three states covered by the AER. For more information, click here. From July, the rate of the age pension for asset-tested couples will increase by $34.50 a fortnight, and $22.50 a fortnight for singles. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will introduce changes to NDIS pricing from July 1, 2025 designed to ensure NDIS participants are charged in line with other Australians receiving these supports through Medicare or Private Health Insurance. Each year, the agency said it undertakes an annual pricing review (APR) to ensure the market is delivering sustainable and high-quality supports for NDIS participants. As a result of the review there will be cuts to allied health services as well as a reduction of claimable travel time by 50 per cent. There has been criticism by advocacy groups who say it will make access to services more difficult in rural areas.
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
New Australian road rules coming into force within days - with huge fines for those who break the rules
Motorists are being warned to familiarise themselves with new road rules aimed at reducing the growing death toll on Australian roads. The new rules, coming into effect on July 1, include stricter speed limits and increased penalties, with fines reaching into the four-figure range. These changes coincide with the continued rollout of high-tech, AI-powered surveillance cameras, which are replacing older models and proving more effective at catching those breaking the laws. For example, on the Tasman Bridge in Hobart, newly installed automatic speed cameras are catching over 700 speeding drivers each week. The Sensys Gatso cameras, which replaced outdated 1990s-era models in March, can monitor multiple vehicles across several lanes - something the older cameras couldn't do. In comparison, the old cameras detected just 624 speeding vehicles in 2020–21 and 458 in 2021–22. The new system now identifies more than 700 speeding incidents every week. Sensys Gatso also operates 16 mobile speed cameras across Tasmania, which have recorded over 60,000 speeding offences in the past 12 months alone. In Queensland and NSW and WA, AI-equipped cameras have been introduced to detect mobile phone use and seatbelt violations. Mobile phone detection cameras use artificial intelligence to identify illegal phone use by drivers and operate in all weather conditions, including fog and heavy rain. The system uses AI to automatically review images, flagging those that likely show a driver using a mobile phone illegally. Images of non-offending drivers are excluded from further action. All flagged images are reviewed by authorised personnel. Both fixed and transportable versions of these cameras use the same advanced technology. Meanwhile, Western Australia added six new mobile cameras at the end of 2024, with four additional 'smart cameras' reportedly planned for Perth freeways. New South Wales The warning period for the NSW Government's new average speed camera trial for light cars is about to expire, with the usual penalties for speeding offences to apply from July 1. Heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses have been subject to average speed camera monitoring since 2010, but this is the first time the technology has been applied to light vehicles. The cameras are currently set up in two locations – a 15km stretch between Kew and Lake Innes (near Port Macquarie), and a 16km section of the Hume Highway between Coolac and Gundagai. They were activated on May 1 this year, and until June 30 they will continue be in 'warning mode', meaning anyone who exceeds the posted speed limit by 30km/h or less will receive a warning letter encouraging a change in driving behaviour. (Speeding offences 31km/h or more above the posted limit are still subject to penalties.) From midnight on July 1, 2025, average speed cameras will enforce all speeding offences, with penalties including fines, demerit points, and potential loss of licence. To alert drivers, these zones are indicated with a sign featuring a large camera image and the text 'AVERAGE SPEED SAFETY CAMERA'. The average speed camera trial period for light vehicles will continue until June 30, 2026, at which time the road safety benefits will be evaluated. NSW will also get rid of ticketless parking fines, following a barrage of complaints from drivers who unknowingly received a fine without any physical notice. Councils will be required to issue on-the-spot notifications for most parking infringements, ending the practice of sending fines by mail. Queensland Queensland will be increasing fines and the cost car registrations by more than three per cent from July 1. It comes after the Labor government froze the cost of registrations and fines until September 2025. The Sunshine State will also reduce the speed limits in selected busy areas- including Hervey Bay Esplanade and other urban areas - from 50km/h to 40km/h. Victoria Motorists across Victoria will be required to slow down to 40km/h while driving past tow trucks, roadside assistance vehicles or incident response vehicles while their alarm is on or their lights are flashing. Drivers will have to slow down on all road types, including freeways, and failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $961. The change is an amendment to Victoria's Road Rule 79A and is in addition to the 10km/h or slower limit around stationary or slow-moving police or emergency vehicles. South Australia South Australia will also be introducing a rule similar to Victoria, but with harsher penalties. Drivers will be required to slow down to 25km/h when passing stationary roadside, emergency or breakdown vehicles when their lights are flashing. The rule only applies to multi-lane roads, with drivers travelling on the opposite side of the road not required to slow down. Those who are caught breaking the new road rule could be slapped with a massive $1,648 fine and a whopping seven demerit points. Western Australia Drivers in Western Australia face increased fines of up to $700 and five demerit points if they are caught using a mobile device. The state has also raised the fine for extreme speeding to more than $1,600. Repeat offenders caught breaking mobile phone rules or driving at excessive speeds risk having their licence suspended. The state is also reducing speed limits on major urban roads including parts of Margaret River areas, Bayview Drive and more than 1,800 regional roads. That means speed limits ranging from 70 to 110km/h will be reduced to 60km/h from July 1. A speed limit of 40km/h will be enforced in high pedestrian areas including Augusta town centre and surrounding streets. The new rules have been introduced in a bid to improve safety and curb the state's road toll.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Yahoo
Learner driver allegedly caught breaking four road rules at once
A learner driver has had his licence suspended after he was allegedly caught breaking four rules at once on Queensland's most dangerous highway. The 31-year-old man was spotted at around 10.30pm on Sunday night by officers who alleged that he was driving at 123km/h in an 80km/h zone on the Bruce Highway in Cairns. When officers approached the car to question the alleged speeding, things quickly took a turn for the worse. Police allege there were no L-plates on display, and claim the supervisor in the passenger seat had a disqualified licence. In Queensland, learner drivers must be accompanied by a driver with an open licence for the same type of vehicle that is being driven. They need to have had that licence for at least one year. The driver was then subjected to a roadside breath test, where police allege it returned a positive result and was later recorded as a BAC of 0.207 per cent. Learner drivers must have a BAC of zero. The man's licence was suspended and he was hit with four charges: Disobeying the speed limit, did drive under the influence of liquor, learning to drive must be properly supervised-motor vehicles other than motorbikes, and learner must not drive motor vehicle unless L plates displayed and clearly legible. He's due to face Cairns Magistrates Court on July 8. The Bruce Highway, which stretches from Cairns to Brisbane, is home to all of the state's top five crash sites. It's ranked third in Australia's most crash-prone roads. Earlier this month, another L-plater was hit with a whopping $1,775 in fines and 22 demerit points after getting pulled over for speeding on the Hume Highway near Penrose in NSW. The male driver was caught driving 39km/h over the speed limit, while also using his phone and not displaying L-plates. The incident took place on the June long weekend, while double demerits were in force, leaving him automatically suspended from driving with a pending extension from NSW Transport. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
