WA Labor has dangled a last-minute carrot for voters in Perth’s south-east after announcing last Friday they’d deliver a new Department of Transport (DoT) driver and vehicle licensing centre in the Armadale/Byford area, if re-elected on Saturday.
“We know that for a young person, getting their driver’s licence is an important milestone… and with this announcement we’re making it that little bit easier for local parents to help their kids get their licence,” Premier Roger Cook said at a press conference in Armadale.
The only driving assessment centre currently operating in the region is in Kelmscott, which would remain open when the new one is launched.
“But that centre only offers driving assessments. So, if you’re a young person hoping to get your learner’s permit, you have to travel either to Rockingham or Cannington from here to actually sit to get your learner’s permit,” Premier Cook said.
The new centre would have a “full offering” and include: learner’s permit and WA photocard applications; cars (C class), aged, heavy vehicle and motorcycle Practical Drivers Assessments (PDA); learner’s permit theory tests; Hazard perception tests; interstate and overseas licence transfers; registration and licence account payments; and custom plates.
Road Safety Minister David Michael said, if Labor was re-elected, a suitable site for the new facility between Armadale and Byford would be selected following consultation with the community and key stakeholders.
When pushed on a possible location, he said that suitable sites are chosen for their available space, parking, and somewhere that wouldn’t cause conflict with local businesses. It would also be located close to the trainline.
And they are looking to retrofit out a disused building, rather than build new on a greenfield site.
“They tend to look for old banks which have already been set up for customer service,” Minister Michael said.
Member for Darling Range Hugh Jones said he’d love to have a new DoT driver and vehicle licencing centre in Byford, with plenty of locals telling him how difficult it was for them to book a driver’s test.
But when pushed on where he thought the new centre could possibly go, he struggled to think of an existing building that would match the criteria.
“Byford is growing and new businesses are coming in – there’s not a lot that are vacating,” he said.
“I don’t think we’ve got any disused banks, so yeah, I don’t know.
“Obviously, the decision will be up to the Department of Transport. We’d love to have it in Byford, but even if it’s in the local area I’ll be happy.”
Member for Armadale Tony Buti said the distance locals had to drive to access the nearest DoT centre was something that was brought up a lot.
“This has definitely been talked about. I mean, it’s not like it’s an everyday issue, but I think this is something that will be very much accepted and welcomed,” he said.
He was also hesitant to speculate on where the new centre could go; while it would be nice to see one of the empty shopfronts on Jull Street get used, he said, he was unsure they would fit the requirements for parking and access.
Local reaction
If WA Labor thought this last-minute cash splash was going to see them gain traction locally, they were sorely mistaken.
Over the weekend the question on most local lips was why had Labor stripped back the full-service DoT centre in Kelmscott if they were going to throw money on a new one up the road less than a decade later.
In October 2018, DoT scaled back the Kelmscott Driver and Vehicle Services to an appointment only centre providing only practical driving assessments after a review of its services and accommodation requirements.
Then-General Manager of Driver and Vehicle Services Steve Mitchinson said it was evident to the department that Success and Cannington were more convenient locations for the majority of customers who visited centres in the southern suburbs.
“Take-up of Department of Transport Direct and other online options and the slowdown of economic activity has resulted in changes in the type of services provided through the Kelmscott Driver and Vehicle Services Centre in the second half of 2018,” he said.
That decision clearly did not age well.
Locals were furious at the time and that sentiment has not dulled.
“Labor closed the Kelmscott centre which was always packed. So, because that was a bad decision that has backfired you are wasting money on a new one in Armadale. Unbelievable,” Donella Nash said.
“[The] Kelmscott licensing centre should never have been closed in the first place,” Julie Anne Street said.
“A new purpose-built facility could have been under construction in the area while the other was still open causing a whole lot less pain than it did.
“Very short-sighted decision given it catered for people not only in the local area but also nearby urban and rural communities. Rule of thumb; if it’s not broken don’t fix it.”
“Well, well, well…Now to find a ‘new’ place when there is one already in Kelmscott. Would that not save a few dollars?” Janet Lynne said.
The Examiner asked why Labor wasn’t instead proposing to expand the existing Kelmscott centre.
Minister Michael said he didn’t believe there was capacity to reopen or upgrade the Kelmscott centre, “based on a model of how much space there is, and how many you can have driving on the local streets at any one time”.
Resentment in the Kelmscott community is growing, fueled by a feeling that the town is being left behind, amidst more than a billion dollars of investment being funneled into Armadale and Byford over the last term of government.
Friday’s announcement will likely stoke the flames of that fire.
To drive home the point, Kelmscott has a variety of easily accessible buildings within walking distance of the train station, that would fit the bill for the new centre – the old Sizzler restaurant, or the old Coventrys are just two properties crying out for a new lease on life.
But Minister Michael said the Department of Transport had seen success in the “dual model” in Joondalup, with its driver assessment centre just a few kilometres up the road from the “full service offering in Butler”, and they were hoping to replicate that here too.
The Minister said that if Labor is re-elected, locals could look forward to booking tests at the new centre – wherever that may be – within the next term of government.
“I doubt Labor is getting back behind the wheel. May have to wait a bit longer,” Peachy Fitzgibbon clapped back.
