Ivan Dean, Speeches Index

Thursday 18 November 2010

VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC AND RELATED LEGISLATION (MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS) BILL 2010

Mr DEAN ( Windermere ) - Mr Deputy President, I support the bill. I just want to make a brief comment in relation to the personalised plates. These have become extremely popular. They are now all over the place and a lot of people are taking the option up to become involved in that and I was almost going to do it at one stage -

Mr Wilkinson - I saw one with 'Deano' written on it yesterday, is that you?

Mr DEAN - It was not me.

Mr Parkinson - I thought you would have had 'FOX1' by now.

Members laughing.

Mr DEAN - It was nothing to do with foxes at all, Mr Deputy President, but I was told it would be extremely embarrassing for me. I was going to get a Richmond numberplate for myself but I could not suffer the embarrassment, so I have given that idea away. I told my wife not to do it so it will not happen in the future.

Ms Forrest - Did she listen to you?

Mr DEAN - No doubt it could be embarrassing to some, though. You see many running around today with the name of a partner or a girlfriend on their numberplates and when those relationships sour I am not quite sure what they do, or whether they go back.

Ms Forrest - It is not as permanent as a tattoo though, is it?

Mr DEAN - No, not as permanent as a tattoo, you are right. Just a couple of issues arise here, Mr Deputy President.

Mr Wilkinson - Lasers get rid of the tattoo, they do not get rid of the numberplate.

Mr DEAN - Yes, you are right. The Registrar of Motor Vehicles always retains ownership of these numberplates and when a registration of a vehicle is no longer required plates are, by law, required to be returned to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. I have not read through the principal act and perhaps I should have done but I assume there will be an opportunity for those people who have paid out big money in some instances where these plates are traded off lawfully and it is registered through the register and so on, to obtain those plates after the vehicle falls out of registration.

I am just wondering what the situation is there because the plate itself with that character on it would obviously be of tremendous value to some people in some situations. That is really the only issue I wanted to raise, as to whether they are entitled to get that exemption to retain that plate. That has been raised with me and I raise it here today.

The other matters are simply to correct a legislative issue on novice drivers, which is obviously necessary, and the other one goes a bit further in the definitions.

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