Annual Report 2006 (main body) - RTA - NSW Government

About 17 million registration and licensing transactions were completed this financial year through the network
of RTA motor registries, by telephone and online.
documents that could contribute to identity
fraud and improve links with other identity
document issuing agencies.
NSW Photo Card
The NSW Photo Card was introduced in
December 2005.This is a voluntary card for
NSW residents aged 16 years or older who
do not hold a NSW driver licence. It has the
same security features as the NSW driver
licence and the same stringent proof of
identity criteria. The RTA will accept the
NSW Photo Card as a primary source of
identification as it does with the NSW driver
licence and has encouraged other
organisations to do the same. The NSW
Photo Card has been made available to help
people who are unable to obtain a driver
licence, including the elderly and people with
disabilities that prohibit them from driving.
Touch screen monitors
In June 2006, the RTA successfully piloted
new flat panel touch screen monitors for
conducting all computer based licence tests.
The new monitors provide improved image
clarity and increased response time.They are
also equipped with a privacy film so that only
the person sitting directly in front of the
monitor can see.The monitors are used by
customers doing their driver knowledge,
hazard perception and driver qualification
tests to obtain learner, provisional P2 and
unrestricted licences, which amounts to
almost half a million computer based licence
tests undertaken each year.The new screens
will be installed in all RTA motor registries
and test agencies at a cost of $1 million.
Centrelink online validation
of pensioner concessions
Centrelink online validation of pensioner
concession cards was successfully piloted
through seven motor registries and the
Newcastle Call Centre from November
2005 and extended to all motor registries in
May 2006.The online link allows registry staff
to validate all Centrelink and Department of
Veterans' Affairs NSW pensioner concession
cards on-the-spot before granting a licensing
or registration concession. Savings of $2.76
million were achieved in the seven-month
period to June 2006, by ensuring that
pensioner concessions were only provided
to eligible pensioners at the time the
concession was sought.
Low cost desktop
During 2005–06 the RTA deployed Sun’s
Open Standards Messaging solution to
1100 staff, mostly working in motor
registries.This follows the previous rollout of
StarOffice (an ‘open’ standards alternative to
Microsoft Office) to 300 registry staff, and
supports the overall direction of the NSW
Government to pursue open source
software solutions.
The RTA called for Expressions of Interest
The NSW Photo Card introduced in December
2005 has the security features of a driver licence.
from the market to provide a centralised
open standards desktop model.
CUSTOMER CALL CENTRE
The call centre provides accurate, timely
licence and registration services over the
phone. Call centre staff play an active role in
information security and have contributed
to cost-saving process improvements.
In May 2006 the RTA call centre at
Newcastle was recommended to be
certified to the international Information
Security Management standard which
E-TOLL SERVICES
Approximately half the motor registries
within the Sydney metropolitan area
now provide E-Toll services. Additional
dedicated resources were also provided
at the call centre to handle issue of
electronic tags and customer enquiries.
VALUE FOR MONEY 61