Driving Change: Wunan helps overcome barriers to licences in the Kimberley

The biggest obstacle to getting her driver’s licence for Kununurra woman Rose Lewis was simply getting behind the wheel.

With no family car, the road to 50 hours of supervised driving — and her licence — seemed like a long and winding one.

But East Kimberley Aboriginal organisation Wunan changed that by offering her driving lessons from her workplace at its head office where she was employed as a receptionist.

“I never had a car for a long time like my family didn’t, and so the drivers would actually pick me up from my work and take me out, which is really great,” she said.

Ms Lewis is one of 1,637 people across WA who have obtained their driver’s licence through the Department of Transport’s driving access and equity program.

DAEP supports people who face barriers in the licensing process to obtain their driver’s licence, develop safe driving habits and improve their employment opportunities.

Many learner drivers struggle to obtain a licence because they do not have regular access to a vehicle to complete the required 50 hours of supervised driving, or they can’t afford a driving instructor to teach them.

The DAEP provides grants to community-based organisations to deliver projects on the ground, improving access to appropriately licensed vehicles, driving supervisors and instructors and providing road rules education and assistance with identity documents.

Assistant transport minister Jessica Stojkovski said the program did not just offer participants the keys to a car.

“The keys are actually to opportunity,” she said

“Getting your driver’s licence, it’s not just your photo and details on an ID. It’s the capacity to be able to go out and get a job.

“Also the work Wunan are doing along with the driving instructing is important. That is, getting some of those health checks done, making sure that their vision and their hearing is good, working through any illiteracy issues as well.”

Ms Stojkovski said some family and domestic violence refuges were referring women to Wunan to obtain their driver’s licences so they can have greater access to services and job opportunities.

“I think the impact of this program is widely felt,” she said.

Almost $26 million in grant funding has been delivered through the program to 29 organisations across WA since it was established in 2022.

That includes five organisations in the Kimberley with 1,258 people participating in the program and, so far, 488 licences being issued.