The Greens have announced a state election policy to provide fee-free driver licence training for disadvantaged youth.

David Shoebridge, a NSW Greens MP and candidate at the upcoming state election, proposes to run the proposed reform through TAFE colleges across the state.

When fully operational the program would deliver up to 10 000 fee-free driver licences per year at a cost of $50 million only.

“For First Nations people, kids leaving out of home care and families who are disadvantaged getting the 120 learner driving hours up can be next to impossible,” David Shoebridge says.

The Greens MP further explains that if implemented the plan will help young people access work and education opportunities that they’d otherwise struggle to physically get to.

Seen in this light, the plan is an investment and will help break the cycle of disadvantage and injustice in NSW.

“Having a drivers’ licence isn’t’ just a rite of passage, it’s a pathway to independence, and in regional areas is essential for getting to work, accessing education and seeing friends and family,” David Shoebridge says.

“We know that in regional and rural areas too many young people come into the criminal justice system for driving and traffic offences, we want to break this cycle,” David Shoebridge says.