VICTORIA DROPS 30-YEAR CLUB PERMIT PROPOSAL

Announcement surprises clubs
The controversial proposal to raise the cut-off date for club permits in Victoria from 25 years to 30 has been dropped.
Today's announcement came as a surprise to clubs involved in consultation with Vic Roads and the Department of Transport, and was made via a public notice.
Proposals for new regulations were released earlier this year, and key among them was the idea of changing the 25-year cut-off for club permits to 30. Vic Roads argued this would bring Victoria in line with other states.
Cars already with the system, and under 30 years, would have kept their status. 
The idea met with a mixed response, with some clubs in favour and others vehemently against.
Ian Ross, President of the Association of Motor Clubs in Vic, expressed surprise when told of the announcement that 25 years would remain.
"That’s news to me. We thought 30 years was deinitely coming in."
He pointed out the association had been in touch with Vic Roads regarding this as recently as two weeks ago.
"Most of our clubs were in favour of 30 years. They generally deal with older cars, and it was seen as a way of reducing the abuse of the system."
One of the concerns with the 25-year limit was it potentially tempts people to use younger cars as daily drivers – though to do so for more than the allotted days risks a heavy fine. Permits allow a maximum of 90 days of use in a year.
Here is a copy, from the Herald-Sun newspaper.
 

MORE DETAILS - Vic club permit update

The Department of Transport has released more information.
Perhaps most important is that the proposal to include cars over 15 years old in the written off register has been dropped for the time being, but may be (according to a recent public notice) revisited at a later date. This issue was raised as a sore point by a number of clubs.
For example, the BMW Drivers Club of Melbourne said the idea could result in onerous and unreasonable conditions being placed on restorers.
"We support the notion of the register – to avoid ring-ins and bad repairs – but it was the conditions of implementation that need further consultation," Lawrence Glynn, Secretary of the club, said.
The Department of Transport has said: "We automatically review vehicle regulations every 10 years to ensure they're effective, relevant, and keeping Victorians as safe as possible on our roads.
"Earlier this year, we sought feedback on a range of potential regulations to give the broader community and industry a chance to have their say to improve road safety in Victoria.
"We thank the community for their feedback and expect the new regulations will take effect in the coming weeks."
Here is the department's summary of the changes.
The following changes to the Club Permit Scheme will be implemented:

• The introduction of specific offences relating to a range of items such as general maintenance conditions, failure to completing logbook entries and failing to provide a vehicle for inspection.
• Inclusion of a definition about replica vehicles seeking to preserve the integrity of the Club Permit Scheme and provide stakeholders greater clarity as to which vehicles are eligible.
• Outlining the items required when applying for a permit. This will provide greater clarity for stakeholders, align the scheme with other registration processes, and increase efficiency when processing applications.

The following changes to the Club Permit Scheme were considered as part of the public consultation and community feedback. However, they were not included as proposed reforms, nor contained within the draft regulations and are not being implemented:

• The pro-rata of Club Permit Scheme fees in line with standard light vehicle registration fees 
• Introduction of an eLog Book for Club Permit vehicles
• The availability of customised plates for Club Permit vehicles

Appointments with VicRoads will not be required to obtain a Club Permit.
The new Regulations introduce a specific offence with penalties more proportionate to non-compliance with logbook requirements: 
New penalty - Logbook non-compliance

• Infringement fine of $363 (2 penalty units)
• Max court fine of $1817 (10 penalty units)

Previous penalty – Driving an unregistered vehicle 

• Infringement fine of $908 (5 penalty units)
• Max court fine of $4543 (25 penalty units for the first offence)

The new logbook obligations require Club Permit holders to ensure that:

• The Club Permit is affixed inside the club logbook.
• each day the Club Permit vehicle is driven outside the vehicle's local zone, the next available entry in the club logbook is completed before beginning your journey
• If the journey begins before midnight and continues into the next day, an entry is made in the logbook for both days
• A complete or partially complete entry in a club logbook is made, which relates to a future day if a second 45-day club permit is issued and affixed inside the club logbook.
• If all available entries in a club logbook are complete, or the Club Permit has expired or is cancelled, the vehicle is not driven outside the vehicle's local zone until you have a new Club Permit.

Club Permit holders are responsible for ensuring the driver of a vehicle operated under the Club Permit complies with these obligations.

The proposal that vehicles older than 15 years be recorded in the Written-off Vehicle Register will not be implemented under the new regulations.