This paper outlines approved policy positions to support safe and effective on-road enforcement of automated vehicles. The paper follows a discussion paper and a consultation process conducted between July and September 2022.

Automated vehicles (AVs) have the potential to revolutionise road transport, providing significant safety, productivity, mobility and environmental benefits.

To realise these benefits, Australia’s Infrastructure and transport Ministers have agreed a national framework for enabling and regulating AVs that requires integrated and complementary laws across the Commonwealth and state and territory governments.

To ensure system safety, a new Commonwealth regulator will oversee the corporations that operate automated driving systems (ADS). However, as first responders to vehicle-related incidents and being responsible for local road rules and law enforcement, state and territory law enforcement agencies will play a key role in ensuring road safety and ensuring human users meet their obligations under the framework.

This paper sets out a range of policy positions agreed by Australian Infrastructure and Transport Ministers in 2023 to support safe and effective on-road enforcement of AVs. They will inform changes to state and territory laws to clarify how law enforcement agencies will interact with AVs when they are operating on Australian roads and outline the powers of enforcement officers in relation to human user obligations for AVs.

The policy positions outlined in this paper represent our current understanding of what the future on-road enforcement requirements will be. The automated vehicle landscape will continue to change, and as AV technologies and standards evolve, these policy positions will be revised and adapted accordingly.