A Tasmanian council has admitted to a significant oversight after its entire fleet of vehicles went unregistered for a week, potentially exposing staff to legal and insurance risks. The West Coast Council, responsible for a range of vehicles from passenger cars to heavy machinery, failed to renew the fleet’s registration on time, leaving multiple vehicles on public roads without valid registration or insurance coverage.
According to the council, the error stemmed from a breakdown in communication between departments, which caused the registration to expire on September 30 and not be renewed until October 7. The mistake was not detected until a staff member noticed they were driving an unregistered vehicle. Although the council acted swiftly to rectify the situation, the incident has raised concerns about the administrative practices of local government bodies.
The Immediate Impact of the Registration Lapse
The registration lapse had immediate consequences for the council’s operations. While some of the vehicles, such as heavy machinery, were primarily used off public roads, others were actively driven on public roads during the week they were unregistered. This posed a serious risk, as driving unregistered vehicles is illegal and could have led to penalties for both the council and the employees involved.
In addition to the legal risks, the failure to renew the registration meant that the vehicles were also not covered by insurance. Acting general manager Bill Hutcheson acknowledged the gravity of the situation, emphasising the importance of vehicle registration for insurance coverage. He explained that if an accident had occurred during the period when the vehicles were unregistered, the council’s insurance would not have been valid. “It’s a significant concern, given that we’re supposed to be law abiding citizens,” he said, highlighting the risks involved.
Hutcheson confirmed that as soon as the issue was identified, the council paid the $45,000 bill to renew the registrations within half an hour. However, he noted that it was still unclear how many of the vehicles had actually been used on public roads during the lapse.
Government and Union Responses
The Australian Services Union (ASU) expressed concern over the incident and announced plans to meet with Local Government Minister Kerry Vincent. Sam Batchelor, the ASU’s Tasmanian coordinator, said the union was alerted by workers who were unaware they were driving unregistered vehicles. “While we have received confirmation that the matter has been rectified, this points to one of many ongoing issues in our councils.” she remarked.
Minister Vincent, while acknowledging his limited jurisdiction over council operations, referred the matter to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles for further investigation. Under Tasmanian law, driving unregistered vehicles carries significant penalties, and it remains to be seen whether any further action will be taken against the council or individual staff members.
