📜 Road Traffic Amendment (Disqualification Notices) Bill 2026

Legislative Council Second ReadingLABill 5725 February 2026

The Road Traffic Amendment (Disqualification Notices) Bill 2026 amends the Road Traffic Act 1974 to expand disqualification notice provisions, better protecting the public from dangerous drivers. It broadens the scope of offences, evidence types, and timeframes for issuing disqualification notices.

Impact

This bill affects drivers suspected of drug/alcohol driving offences, hit and run offences, and reckless/dangerous driving offences. It allows police to disqualify drivers based on broader evidence and extends the disqualification period, aiming to prevent dangerous drivers from remaining on the road.

Key Changes

["Expands the number of offences that can result in a disqualification notice.", "Broadens the types of evidence that can be used to issue a disqualification notice, including visually recorded evidence.", "Extends the time frame in which police can issue a disqualification notice.", "Extends the length of disqualification notices from two to three months, or until the accused's first court appearance.", "Permits the court to extend the length of a disqualification notice."]

Parliamentary Progress

LA Second Reading MovedLA25 Feb 2026
LA IntroducedLA25 Feb 2026
LA Second Reading SpeechLA25 Feb 2026
LC First ReadingLC19 Mar 2026
LC Second Reading MovedLC19 Mar 2026
LA Consideration in DetailLA19 Mar 2026
LC Second Reading SpeechLC19 Mar 2026
LA Second Reading AgreedLA19 Mar 2026
LA Third ReadingLA19 Mar 2026

Affected Sectors

transportjusticeemergency_services

Penalty Provisions1 found

criminal

s. 71CCriminalcross reference

Driving offences leading to a disqualification notice

Ref: Driving offences leading to a disqualification notice

“(1) This section applies if a police officer (the police officer) — (a) as a result of visually recorded evidence or an analysis of a sample of a person’s breath, blood or oral fluid, has reason to suspect that a person (the alleged offender) has committed any of the following (the alleged offence) — (i) an offence against section 54(3), 56(2) or (3), 59, 59A, 59BA, 60, 60A, 63, 64, 64A(1), 64AB, 64B or 64C; (ii) an offence against section 61 committed in the circumstances of aggravation referred to in section 49AB(1)(c); (iii) an offence against section 61, 64AA or 64AC that, were the alleged offender to be convicted, would be a 2nd or subsequent offence against that section; or (b) has reason to suspect that a person (the alleged offender) has committed either of the following (the alleged offence) — (i) an offence against section 67, 67AA, 67AC, 67AD or 67A; (ii) an offence against section 67AB that, were the alleged offender to be convicted, would be a 2nd or subsequent offence against that section; or (c) has charged a person (the alleged offender) with either of the following (the alleged offence) — (i) an offence against section 54(3), 56(2) or (3), 59, 59A or 59BA; (ii) an offence against section 61 committed in the circumstances of aggravation referred to in section 49AB(1)(c).”

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