TAC Community grant to support safe driving by new migrant drivers in south east

01 May 2009

MEDIA RELEASE: 1st May 2009

The Ethnic Communities Council of the South East has been awarded a $20,000 community road safety grant to support safe driving by newly arrived migrants and refugees.

The Minister for the TAC, Tim Holding said “I am pleased to announce that Driving on the Right Track is one of the 19 community road safety projects that will receive around $450,000 to make Victoria’s roads safer.”

“This project provides supervised driving practice to newly arrived migrants from the Burmese and Karen communities that have settled in the South Eastern Region of Melbourne,” Minister Holding said.

“Traditionally these communities have had a limited ability to gain their driver’s license because of lack of education on road safety issues and limited financial resources to access driving lessons.“

“Driving on the Right Track overcomes these barriers so new migrants are not only safer drivers but also more confident and connected within their local communities.”

New migrant drivers will receive 15 to 20 hours of supervised driving practice and 5 to 11 hours of professional driving lessons, along with classrom sessions on safe driving on Victorian roads. The Ethnic Communities Council of the South East will deliver the project in partnership with Adult Multicultural Education Services and Women’s Health in the South East.

Member for Dandenong, John Pandazopoulos said, “I congratulate the Ethnic Communities Council of the South East for taking the lead on this project. It offers migrant learner drivers a great opportunity to be safer drivers on our roads.”

Community road safety grants represent an important tool for the TAC to facilitate road safety initatives at a local level.

The TAC encourages community groups, including local councils, to prepare applications for projects that target a specific road safety problem. 

Funding is available for community-based projects conducted by not-for-profit groups that identify a problem and provide a solution.

The next round of applications will be accepted up until 14 August 2009.

 Grant application guidelines are available at www.tacsafety.com.au or by contacting the TAC Community Road Safety Grants Officer on (03) 5225 6954.