Learner Driver Training: Your Experience

Have your say in improving learner driver training by sharing your experience

What's being decided?

We are reviewing our driver training materials for learner drivers, like the Driving Companion.

This review will ensure future training materials are inclusive, accessible and support learner drivers as they work towards their full licence.

We want to hear about your experiences if you:

  • hold a learners permit and are starting your supervised driver training
  • hold a P1 or P2 licence
  • are a full licence holder who supports a learner driver with supervised driving.

We aim to better understand the community’s needs and expectations within the learner driver training space to improve the training materials, such as the Driving Companion (including Logbook), to improve driver training experiences. So, who better than to hear from than you! Someone who is, or has already, used the Driving Companion and has insight into the driver training journey!

Your feedback is important to us, and it will help us to identify opportunities to improve the driver training materials so that they better support anyone experiencing the licensing journey.

Background

The need for significant reform of the South Australian driver training and assessment industry has been established through community and industry consultation.

In 2022, an ICAC report identified multiple areas of misconduct across the driver training industry, including:

  • Issuing licences to applicants who weren’t competent
  • Accepting bribes
  • Engaging in inappropriate behaviours with minors
  • Deceptive behaviours, including misrepresenting accreditation
  • Refusal to issue receipts for cash payments
  • Training applicants for a licence on testing routes

The purpose of the driver training reform is to:

  • Improve the skills of drivers
  • Reduce costs for learner drivers
  • Improve accessibility and inclusion to support the needs of the diverse community
  • Address corruption and sexually predatory behaviour in the driver training sector

Key proposed reforms include:

  • Improved driver licensing training manuals for Qualified Supervised Drivers and Learner drivers to provide adequate and accessible driver training and road safety education to meet South Australian standards
  • Improved instruction manuals for Motor Driver Instructors (MDIs) to promote consistent approaches to driver training
  • Driver examination for the issue of a class C (car) licence to be undertaken by Government employees rather than private operators
  • Regulation of MDIs for all licence classes be strengthened through the introduction of a suite of reforms including higher standards to enter the industry, mandatory cameras in driver training cars, a Code of Practice and greater sanctioning authority

Get involved

Find out more:

Have your say by:

  • Completing our online survey. The survey asks about your training experiences, barriers to learning and opportunities for improvement.
  • It may take you up to 10 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous.
  • If you are under 18 years of age, make sure you have permission from your parent or guardian to take part.
  • The survey closes on 19 October 2025.

By participating, you’re helping build a safer, fairer and more responsive driver training system that reflects the needs of all South Australians. Learn more about our proposed Driver Training Reform improvements (External link).

What are the next steps?

We will consider your feedback to improve the driver training materials for learner drivers and qualified supervising drivers and will share an update of these on this site.

Have your say in improving learner driver training by sharing your experience

What's being decided?

We are reviewing our driver training materials for learner drivers, like the Driving Companion.

This review will ensure future training materials are inclusive, accessible and support learner drivers as they work towards their full licence.

We want to hear about your experiences if you:

  • hold a learners permit and are starting your supervised driver training
  • hold a P1 or P2 licence
  • are a full licence holder who supports a learner driver with supervised driving.

We aim to better understand the community’s needs and expectations within the learner driver training space to improve the training materials, such as the Driving Companion (including Logbook), to improve driver training experiences. So, who better than to hear from than you! Someone who is, or has already, used the Driving Companion and has insight into the driver training journey!

Your feedback is important to us, and it will help us to identify opportunities to improve the driver training materials so that they better support anyone experiencing the licensing journey.

Background

The need for significant reform of the South Australian driver training and assessment industry has been established through community and industry consultation.

In 2022, an ICAC report identified multiple areas of misconduct across the driver training industry, including:

  • Issuing licences to applicants who weren’t competent
  • Accepting bribes
  • Engaging in inappropriate behaviours with minors
  • Deceptive behaviours, including misrepresenting accreditation
  • Refusal to issue receipts for cash payments
  • Training applicants for a licence on testing routes

The purpose of the driver training reform is to:

  • Improve the skills of drivers
  • Reduce costs for learner drivers
  • Improve accessibility and inclusion to support the needs of the diverse community
  • Address corruption and sexually predatory behaviour in the driver training sector

Key proposed reforms include:

  • Improved driver licensing training manuals for Qualified Supervised Drivers and Learner drivers to provide adequate and accessible driver training and road safety education to meet South Australian standards
  • Improved instruction manuals for Motor Driver Instructors (MDIs) to promote consistent approaches to driver training
  • Driver examination for the issue of a class C (car) licence to be undertaken by Government employees rather than private operators
  • Regulation of MDIs for all licence classes be strengthened through the introduction of a suite of reforms including higher standards to enter the industry, mandatory cameras in driver training cars, a Code of Practice and greater sanctioning authority

Get involved

Find out more:

Have your say by:

  • Completing our online survey. The survey asks about your training experiences, barriers to learning and opportunities for improvement.
  • It may take you up to 10 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous.
  • If you are under 18 years of age, make sure you have permission from your parent or guardian to take part.
  • The survey closes on 19 October 2025.

By participating, you’re helping build a safer, fairer and more responsive driver training system that reflects the needs of all South Australians. Learn more about our proposed Driver Training Reform improvements (External link).

What are the next steps?

We will consider your feedback to improve the driver training materials for learner drivers and qualified supervising drivers and will share an update of these on this site.

  • Learner Driver Training: Your Experience

    Hi!  Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us.

    We are reviewing our driver training materials for learner drivers, including the Driving Companion.  The Driving Companion is the booklet Learner Drivers use to log their driving hours; it provides detailed information about what skills learners need to practice to become safe drivers. 

    This review will ensure future training materials are inclusive, accessible and support learner drivers as they work towards their full licence.

    We want to hear about your experiences if you:

    • hold a learners permit and are starting your supervised driver training
    • hold a P1 or P2 licence
    • are a full licence holder who supports a learner driver with supervised driving


    You can provide by your feedback by completing our online survey. The survey asks about your training experiences, barriers to learning and opportunities for improvement.

    If you are under 18 years of age, make sure you have permission from your parent or guardian to take part.

    The survey may take around 10 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous.

    The survey closes on 19 October 2025.

    By participating, you’re helping build a safer, fairer and more responsive driver training system that reflects the needs of all South Australians. Learn more about our proposed Driver Training Reform improvements.

    If you have any questions about the survey, please contact dit.dtreform@sa.gov.au

     If you agree to participate in the survey, please begin the survey below

    Take Survey
Page published: 17 Sep 2025, 05:46 PM