Evolution of the Queensland Driver Licence
A new Driver Licence is replacing Queensland's laminated licence, which has been in operation for the past 20 years.
A licence for safer streets
The first Queensland Driver Licence was issued in 1910. It
was prompted by the first recorded road fatality in the
state, which occurred on the corner of Brookes and
Wickham streets, Fortitude Valley (near the Brisbane
Exhibition Grounds). A speeding vehicle struck down two
women as they crossed the road to catch a tram. One of
the women, Amelia Down, died in hospital the next day.
It was later revealed that the driver was known to Brisbane
police for his questionable driving skills. Public concern
soon led to the introduction of driver testing and a system
of licensing.
From paper to laminated licences
Initially, Queensland Police conducted driver tests at the
police headquarters in Roma Street, Brisbane. As the
demand for licences increased, a driver testing unit was
built at Kemp Place, Fortitude Valley. Tests were later
introduced for heavy vehicle operators, bus drivers and
motorbike riders.
After successfully passing the test, applicants were issued
with a heavy gauge paper licence. Like the laminated
licence, the paper version included the name, address,
signature, customer number and a visual description of the
licence holder. The early paper licences also contained
vehicle details and acted as a registration certificate.
Unfortunately, paper licences were easily forged and
altered. Many Queenslanders will recall that they were
damaged by water and general wear and tear.
These factors led to the introduction in July 1986 of the
current laminated photograph licence. The photographic
licence paved the way for an overhaul of licensing
procedures, including the introduction of an electronic
system for recording licensing information.
The need for change
The equipment and materials used for the production of
laminated cards has been in use since the mid 1980s and
is becoming obsolete. As this equipment and materials
increasingly cannot be replaced, investment in a new
system was required.
From laminated cards to more secure technology
The laminated licence has become increasingly vulnerable
to tampering and fraud and needs to be replaced with more
secure technology.
Relatively unsophisticated equipment can create fake
laminated licences, and these licences may be used to
commit a wide range of crimes such as identity theft,
identity fraud, creating false identities, money laundering,
purchasing age-restricted products and driving illegally.
Identity fraud is one of Australia’s fastest growing crimes
and the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ National Personal
Fraud Survey (June 2008) showed there were 806 000
victims of personal fraud in Australia in 12 months, costing
individuals a combined A$977 million. This included
124 000 victims of identity fraud.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads has an
opportunity to introduce new cards that adopt global
technology to strengthen the integrity of our licensing
system.
The new cards are more secure, reliable and durable than
the laminated cards or the plastic magnetic stripe cards
used for licences in other states. Unlike the old laminated
cards, these new cards are virtually impossible to tamper
with or duplicate providing cardholders with increased
protection against identity theft.
Businesses also benefit from increased assurance that the
card being presented is genuine and the possible savings
from a reduction in card-related fraud.
To the laminated licence
The cards are the most technologically sophisticated
licensing card in Australia, bringing Queensland up to
speed with its international counterparts.
The cards are being progressively introduced from late
2010, with cardholders transitioning to the new card when
their existing laminated card expires.
Queensland driver licences are issued for a period of up to
five years, so it will take between five and six years for all
cardholders to replace their laminated cards with the new
cards.
Other examples of this technology
This technology is being used for many applications
around the world including:
Transit cards
Automated fare collection systems using these types of
cards are found in major public transport systems
throughout the world. These transit cards make it easier
and more convenient to catch public transport as there is
no need to find cash or queue for a ticket, because the
card acts as an e-purse.
Financial institutions
These cards are also used extensively throughout the
United States, United Kingdom and Europe by financial
institutions to reduce electronic banking fraud as they are
more secure than magnetic stripe bank cards.
For more information
Website: www.tmr.qld.gov.au/cards
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 13 23 80 (during business hours)
Please note: the contents of this fact sheet are current as at May 2011 and are a guide only and cannot be used as a reference to a point of law.
Due to continuous improvements by the card manufacturer, there may be slight variations in card appearance.
From the paper licence
To the new licence