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: newlicence@tmr.qld.gov.au

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