Roads to health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people September 2017 Level 5, 1 King St Newtown NSW 2042 Australia T +61 2 8052 4300 Driving Change – at a glance Community: · Partnered with 11 communities in NSW · 1006 clients aged from 16 to 72 years, majority under 25 Licensing: · Over 400 licences obtained · 193 learner licences obtained · 224 P1 licences obtained Training: · Over 3300 hours of supervised driving practice · More than 100 volunteer supervising drivers signed up Results: · Clients who had supervised driving practice - 2.4 times more likely to progress to an independent licence · Clients who received a high level of case management - 1.8 times more likely to progress to an independent licence · Led to 67% of clients obtaining a birth certifi cate for identifi cation · Lifted licensing sanctions for 72% of clients requesting assistance with outstanding fi nes · Clients who were supported to maintain or obtain a licence were 2.5 times more likely to have changed employment or have become employed “In Dareton, we’ve got a lot of young school leavers, but you’ve also got a lot of older people that never got their licence. We’ve got a lot of industry that requires you to have a licence, so if you want a job there, you need a licence. Public transport is not a big option, and a person’s independence is important, so the whole Driving Change program is like a breath of fresh air.” Des Jones, Driving Change Youth Worker, Dareton Roads to health 2 Transforming driver licensing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Roads to health Driver licensing leads to better access to education and The program evaluation suggested Driving Change employment, and is an important social determinant was responsive to client and community needs with of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander a high level of acceptability and engagement. There people. Despite this, there are multiple barriers to were several implementation challenges, including: driver licensing for young Aboriginal and Torres the diverse community contexts in which partnerships Strait Islander people in Australia, including access to were established, challenges in attracting funding for vehicles and supervising drivers for learner drivers. In cars for supervised driving practice, and utilisation of recent years, state governments in New South Wales funding for job training from employment agencies (NSW), South Australia (SA) and Northern Territory for licensing costs. Data quality was also an issue in (NT) have introduced licensing support programs but program evaluation, with inconsistent reporting of there remain major implementation challenges, and Indigenous status in licensing data. Despite these poor understanding of impact. This paper outlines the challenges, the evaluation results demonstrate that introduction and evaluation of a driver licensing support the ‘bottom-up’ processes employed led to strong program delivered in partnership with communities community ownership. Critical to the success of the across NSW. program were partnerships with Aboriginal community organisations, and Aboriginal leadership across all levels The Driving Change program was delivered to of the program. Aboriginal people in 11 communities between 2013– 2015. Over 400 driver licenses were obtained as part There is an urgent need for Aboriginal licensing support of the program, more than 100 volunteer supervising programs across Australia. Consistent funding of drivers signed up, and over 3300 hours of driving community-based programs and support for Aboriginal practice achieved. The program targeted and reached led licensing initiatives are critical in order to close the clients with a high level of need, with the majority licensing gap. aged under 25 years old, who are also unemployed, not tertiary educated, and almost half living in a household without a licensed driver. Program clients who participated in supervised driving practice were 2.4 times more likely to progress to an independent licence, and those who received a high level of case management were nearly twice as likely to progress to an independent licence than those who received low levels of case management. Amongst program clients, those who retained or attained a licence supported by the program were 2.5 times more likely to have changed employment or have become employed, as a result of the program than those who did not attain a licence. About The George Institute for Global Health The George Institute for Global Health is an Since the establishment of its global headquarters in independent global medical research institute. The Sydney, The George Institute has grown to have major George Institute conducts targeted, innovative health centres in China, India and the United Kingdom. The research aimed at reducing the burden of the leading George Institute employs over 600 staff , has a program causes of death and disability in Australia and around of research spanning approximately 50 countries and the world. has raised $650 million for global health research. Since our establishment in 1999, our research has The George Institute is affi liated with world renowned infl uenced medical guidelines and practice, and universities, and our researchers have been recognised changed decades old thinking about some of the most among the world’s best for scientifi c impact and common prevention strategies and medical treatments. excellence. Roads to health Transforming driver licensing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 3 An in-depth look Having a driver licence is often taken for granted in Private car ownership requires a licence however and Australia. In regional and remote areas, a driver licence this may not always be easy to obtain. Driver licensing and access to a car is essential to get to work, to see laws have been gradually strengthened Australia-wide a doctor or visit family and friends. Public transport to improve safety for young drivers, who experience outside metropolitan areas is often infrequent or very high crash rates. Such laws have been eff ective unavailable all together. In metropolitan areas, there are in improving safety but also make it more diffi cult to also challenges in access due to the high costs of living access a driver licence. and transport. Barriers to licensing But for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander There are substantial barriers to driver licensing that people there are numerous challenges to obtaining and signifi cantly impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait maintaining a driver licence, and this impacts on health, Islander people. Previous research in NSW, NT and SA employment prospects and wellbeing. has consistently highlighted these barriers, which are To address these issues, the not-for-profi t sector pervasive and not readily overcome. These can include: and some Australian state governments are working • Financial barriers that result in a lack of ability to pay to improve licensing to overcome such transport for licence fees or driving lessons disadvantage among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This includes DriveSafe NT • Poor literacy and numeracy skills which impacts on Remote, South Australia’s program, On the Right Track pass rates for the learner licence theory test Remote and, the NSW Government’s driver licensing • Lack of cultural safety or responsiveness in service access program. In NSW, community programs are provision at registries delivered by organisations including ACE Community • Lack of access to licensed supervising drivers and cars Colleges, Birrang and in Bourke, the Maranguka for driving practice Program. However, without rigorous program Further, certain laws around licensing, especially evaluation it can be challenging to obtain ongoing regarding fi nes enforcement in states like NSW, funding for such programs. have led to high rates of driver disqualifi cations and Given the importance of driver licensing in providing suspensions. In some states, enforcement action access to education and employment, there is a clear notices may lead to the cancellation of a driver licence need for evidence to inform policy development and or car registration, even if the fi ne is non-road related. program implementation. If alternative transport is not available, this may lead to increased off ences for driving while unlicensed or What is transport disadvantage? suspended, which in turn can contribute to higher rates When you are unable to get to the places you need to of incarceration for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in order to fulfi l the usual activities of life – shopping, people. Although such licensing laws can be important caring for family, social activities, access to health for safety, it can also lead to disadvantage among some care, education or employment – you are transport groups of drivers. disadvantaged. Transport disadvantage impacts on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population more Barriers to licensing can therefore lead to a self- than the rest of the community, as higher proportions perpetuating cycle of adversity as seen in fi gure 1 of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in (next page), particularly in relation to supervised regional and remote parts of the country without access driving practice, fi nes enforcement, and driving while to public transport. Transport disadvantage also exists unauthorised. in urban areas, for example where public transport services are poor or prohibitively expensive. Having a private car can mitigate some of the