Don’t fall into the unregistered car trap

VicRoads can unilaterally terminate your vehicle registration renewal notifications – with the potential to leave your car unregistered, and therefore uninsured and at risk of crippling financial loss – without informing you of this change.

This potentially calamitous and financially ruinous circumstance can occur as a result of a VicRoads’ policy of terminating notifications if a single piece of mail it sends out to your nominated postal address is returned undelivered.

And it is not only Victorians who are affected by this kind of policy. New South Wales residents can be similarly removed from communication in the same way by Transport for NSW (Service NSW).

As a result of the 2022 Optus data breach, thousands of Victorians had their driving licence data compromised. So working with Optus, VicRoads began a driving licence replacement post-out program to affected motorists in 2022.

Andrew* was affected by the data breach and, unbeknown to him, VicRoads sent out a new driver’s licence to his now-defunct PO Box address in October 2022.

When new licence was returned undelivered, VicRoads activated its notification termination policy across Andrew’s VicRoads profile.

“In June this year I realised that I had not received an email notification that my car’s rego was due, and I thought this was odd,” Andrew says.

“I looked at my VicRoads online profile in the notifications area and there were no notifications later than January 2022, 18 months earlier.

“I felt this was odd as I have had a ‘myVicRoads’ online account for a while. When I checked my car’s profile on the VicRoads website it said my car was no longer registered. I was aghast. I am pedantic about paying these bills as soon as they come in.

“I called VicRoads in something of a panic and they confirmed the car was no longer registered, and that my new licence had been returned undelivered and so I would have to get a new roadworthy and apply for an appointment (the earliest was in four weeks) to obtain new rego plates,” he says.

“I couldn’t believe that just because they had an out-of-date PO Box mailing address, they had just terminated my notifications, despite having my correct and longstanding residential address printed on the driving licence they were trying to deliver, as well as my email address that they had been using for several years for rego notifications, not to mention emailing me regarding the Optus data breach!”

In a letter sent to Andrew, VicRoads stated: “When VicRoads receives undelivered mail a notation is recorded against a file, no further correspondence will be sent until the customer confirms that the address is correct or a new address is provided.”

But there appears to be no explanation as to how the customer is to know that they have had their notifications terminated.

“They simply made no attempt to use other contact data they have for me to reach me, and cut me off,” Andrew says. “I think this is unreasonable and extremely questionable conduct.

“You can imagine the consequences for all Victorian drivers in this position. If VicRoads gets a communication returned it just stops contacting you. So if this happens and then you have an accident, potentially you could be ruined financially. With no rego you don’t have insurance or TAC cover, so you might need to sell your house to pay your medical bills, or as a result of being sued by a third party.

“How many people affected by the Optus data breach who have had new licences printed have suffered the same fate as me?” Andrew wonders. “Imagine if you drive for a living, as a truck driver or taxi driver. Not only would you lose financially, but you might lose your livelihood.”

After two weeks and many hours waiting on the phone, Andrew was told by VicRoads that because he had paid his rego as soon as he saw the problem, and agreed to backdate it to the original due date, he wouldn’t need a RWC or new rego plates.

“My profile in the VicRoads system still shows no notifications after January 2022, even though the car is shown as registered on another part of the site, so I don’t know for sure that my notifications have been turned back on. I don’t know what will happen in January next year,” he said.

“My deep concern is that there may be potentially tens or hundreds of Victorian drivers out there who have not received their new licences and/or their rego renewal notifications, by post or email, because VicRoads has just turned them off, due to a change of address circumstance that wasn’t reported to VicRoads.”

Andrew said he wrote to Victorian public transport minister Ben Carroll, who forwarded the correspondence on to the minister for roads and road safety Melissa Horne, but he has not been replied to.

“I spoke to the transport ombudsman, but they were no help either, washing their hands of the issue as quickly as they could,” he said.

VicRoads told carsales in a statement that: “All Victorian drivers are obligated to ensure their registration and licence details are valid and up-to-date. Legally you must notify us of an address changes within 14 days of moving.

“Customers can update their details securely and easily with a myVicRoads account. This will ensure they do not miss important notifications – such as registration and licence renewals – which may put them at risk of driving illegally.’’

Similarly, Transport for NSW’s policy is that once unclaimed mail is returned, TfNSW won’t re-attempt any mail contact until the customer gets in touch.

But there’s no indication as to how affected motorists in Victoria or NSW are supposed to know they have been cut off from communication, particularly if there are no notifications lodged on their online accounts, for example at myVicRoads.

Neither VicRoads nor Transport for NSW could provide carsales with any data relating to the numbers of motorists who have fallen into the trap of having their notifications terminated as a result of this policy, or how many could, as a result, be driving an unregistered car.

* Not his real name

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au