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For anyone with driving-age teenagers, it seems like taking them out to rack up a few practice hours in the family car might be a good coronavirus lockdown activity.
But after a 17-year-old in Melbourne was hit with a fine for learning to drive with her mum (they were pulled over by police in Frankston, about 30km away from home), plenty were asking if it's actually allowed.
So where does each state stand right now?
Do driving lessons count as 'essential' in Victoria?
After Hunter Reynolds was hit with a $1,652 fine for her driving lesson on Sunday, it was withdrawn by police.
But Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton says that's because there was some confusion in the community about the current rules around learning to drive.
He said the fine was legally issued — and getting driving practice just for the sake of it isn't classed as an essential activity in the state.
"The Chief Health Officer has made it clear that undertaking driving practice in the current climate is not an essential activity, unless the learner driver is gaining driving practice in line with one of the four exemptions," Deputy Commissioner Patton said.
"[These include] when driving to purchase food or supplies, or when travelling to work or education."
So unless you're out on the roads for an essential activity, getting in the car purely for some more time behind the wheel isn't OK.
But it's a different story in other states.
Are driving lessons allowed in NSW?
If you're living further north, driving lessons are considered a reasonable excuse to be on the roads.
This includes from both driving instructors and family members, according to New South Wales Police.
That's because they say it's similar to another accepted reason to leave home — going to an "educational institution where you cannot learn from home" (and it's pretty hard to get those logbook hours in without being in a car).
They also said: "Learner drivers could also continue to drive with a supervising family member for any of the listed reasonable excuses for leaving the house — for example, driving to the supermarket."
How about South Australia?
In South Australia, the rules are slightly different to other states.
Here, for example, a two-person rule around social distancing that's commonly enforceable elsewhere is considered "strong advice" (gatherings are still OK, provided you don't have more than 10 people).
So what do their rules say about driving lessons?
Stick to the regular laws of the road and you're OK to spend some time practising.
South Australia Police say the current emergency declaration is there to both limit the spread of the virus and make sure people stick to their social distancing guidelines.
"These restrictions in South Australia would not prevent two members of the same family group from being together in a motor vehicle for the purposes of a driving lesson," SA police said.
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Learners to 'assess their need' in WA
Anyone learning in the West should think about if they need to keep going with their practice.
A Department of Transport spokeswoman said that given current COVID-19 advice: "Learners and supervisors are encouraged to assess their need to continue to practise driving at this time."
But those new drivers who decide to keep practising are "encouraged" to have a supervisor from their household who has had a licence for at least four years and to stay in their region.
That's important because WA does have intrastate border closures, dividing the state up into nine separate territories.
Anyone crossing into another region without a good reason could face fines of up to $50,000.
And if parents don't want to take their children out to learn, classes are still OK.
"Learners undertaking professional lessons with an instructor can continue to do so," the spokeswoman said.
And there are still some driving tests happening in the state.
Candidates who need to take a test for essential work purposes (like emergency services or driving freight around) are being prioritised.
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What's the case in Queensland?
In Queensland, driving tests have been cancelled for three months from March 28.
"When we reintroduce practical driving tests and return to business as usual operations, we will prioritise existing bookings and requirements for urgent testing," the Department said on its website.
It is still unclear if learners can continue to drive — the ABC has reached out to the State Government for a response.
However, the RACQ's chief communications officer Paul Turner said the latest advice from the Department of Transport and Main Roads was that driving locally was OK.
"They [the Department] have moved to ensure that supervisors, usually parents and their kids, can drive around their local village, their local neighbourhood and get their 100 hours," Mr Turner said.
"We all know they'll be pretty short trips but it's much better than the alternative."
What about Tasmania?
Yes, it's OK here as well.
Driving lessons are a "reasonable excuse" under the state's current public health order.
The reasoning is similar to New South Wales — it's an educational activity you can't do at a desk, so it fits in with other rules saying you're allowed to travel for education if you can't learn at home.
But the State Government still urges people to "drive within their local area".
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Michael Ferguson, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, says parents can still take learner drivers out but if they're doing so: "You must adhere to the rules, only drive within your municipality, and only stop if you are getting essential supplies."
"If you do not have an essential reason to stop anywhere, you should not exit the vehicle while out and about," he said.
Lessons with an instructor are also allowed, and learning to drive is exempt from the 1.5m social distancing rule — allowing trainers to sit in the front seat — and from the two-person gathering restriction if it's in a private vehicle.
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Topics: covid-19, driver-education, youth, australia, nsw, qld, sa, tas, vic, wa
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