Rego label days are numbered

The days of scraping a registration label off the corner of the front windscreen are numbered, following a Newman Government decision to end the stickers.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said Queensland motorists who owned light vehicles would start to receive their last sticker before the labels are phased out on October 1, 2014.

“This will bring Queensland into line with most other Australian states which have already gone stickerless,” Mr Emerson said.

“It will mean a more efficient and effective method of registering vehicles and save up to $3.5 million a year in postage and printing costs.

“Stickerless regos will apply to all vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes which account for about 96 per cent, or 4.4 million, of vehicles registered in Queensland.

“Using a kitchen knife to pry off an old label and trying to stick on the new label without bubbles will be a thing of the past.

“Abolishing labels will also benefit delivery companies and car rental companies with large vehicle fleets.”

Registration labels were first introduced in Queensland in 1932.

Mr Emerson said advances in technology meant the detection of unregistered vehicles could be done using number plate recognition, rather than citing a sticker on the front windscreen.

“The key issue in making this decision was to be satisfied that there will not be an increase in the number of unregistered vehicles in Queensland,” he said.

“The experience in other states shows that if this is carefully implemented and enforced there won’t be any change in vehicle registration numbers.

“Once the labels are no longer required, the public will be able to check the registration status of their vehicle online or by calling the TMR call centre.”

Fines of up to $8800 apply for driving an unregistered vehicle.

The registration and traffic improvement fees for Queensland motorists range from $92.55 for a trailer to $777.10 for a car (9-12 cylinders). The Newman Government has frozen registration and traffic improvement fees for Queensland family vehicles during the current term of government.

[ENDS] 15 September 2013

Media contact: Stephanie Shield 0418 186 625