New road rules now in effect

Motorists across Australia are now subject to a raft of new road rules, higher penalties and registration-related changes that took effect from July 1, with reforms ranging from motorcycle safety gear requirements and e-scooter crackdowns to updated roadwork speed limit rules in the country’s most populous state. Here’s what you need to know.

The biggest changes differ from state to state, but most Australian motorists will notice either new road rules or increased costs for breaking the rules from July 1.

New South Wales

New South Wales has introduced tougher safety requirements for Learner, P1 and P2 motorcyclists under changes to the Motorcycle Graduated Licensing Scheme.

Riders donning an L or P plate must now wear approved protective gloves whenever riding, while learner riders must also wear an approved high-visibility vest or jacket.

NSW has also introduced a long-promised change to roadwork speed limits.

Under a new Traffic Control at Work Sites standard, temporary reduced speed limits must now be removed outside construction hours whenever it is safe to do so. Where there are no workers on site and conditions allow, speed limits will return to normal rather than remain unnecessarily reduced.

Roads and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison said the changes were designed to improve traffic flow without compromising safety.

"Protecting construction workers and motorists around worksites is critical. We are not changing or weakening any rules around safety."

Further NSW changes are still to come.

From July 6, the state's weekly cap for toll fees will reduce from $60 to $50 for 12 months, while from September 2026 eligible vehicle owners will automatically receive a one-off registration discount worth $100 for passenger vehicles and $80 for motorcycles.

Victoria

Victoria has changed its infringement enforcement system, increasing the costs faced by motorists who fail to pay infringement notices by their initial due date.

The reforms primarily affect unpaid fines rather than introducing new traffic offences.

Queensland

Queensland has introduced sweeping reforms targeting electric bikes, scooters and other personal mobility devices.

Police can now seize and destroy illegal e-bikes and e-scooters, while riders are subject to random breath testing and a 0.05 blood alcohol limit. They're also now limited to riding on roads with a speed limit of 60km/h and lower, or in bike lanes.

A maximum speed limit of 25km/h on roads now applies, as well as a 12km/h speed limit on footpaths and when passing pedestrians on shared paths.

Higher penalties also now apply for offences including speeding, failing to wear a helmet, careless riding, illegally carrying passengers and riding on prohibited roads.

From August 31, e-bike riders will need to be at least 16 years old and hold a valid driver's licence, including a learner's permit, with parents of offending youths now able to be fined if their kids are caught doing the wrong thing.

South Australia

South Australian motorists will pay more for many common driving offences including speeding and drink-driving.

Updated speeding fines are now:
Less than 10km/h over: $215
10-20km/h over: $484
20-30km/h over: $998
30-45km/h over: $1793
More than 45km/h over: $2018

Drink-driving penalties have also increased, with those recording a blood alcohol concentration below 0.08 now up for a fine of $904.

Western Australia

Meanwhile, WA hasn’t made any major changes although it is considering significant reforms for learner and provisional drivers.

Proposals include doubling the minimum learner period from six to 12 months, increasing supervised driving requirements from 50 to 80 hours (including 10 hours of night driving), and extending the provisional licence period from two years to three.

ACT and Tasmania

Neither jurisdiction has introduced significant new road rules, although some penalties have increased through routine inflation indexation.

Visit your state or territory’s road authority website for the full details on updated road rules and infringements.

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