Immigrant women in country Victoria are getting free driving lessons and road safety courses taught by local police officers.
Victoria Police officers in Gippsland helped run the state government-funded Let’s Get Driving course in the town of Morwell earlier this month, with another free five-week program scheduled for early next year.
Nine female immigrants completed the first course, including Sudanese Muslim mother-of-two Monira Azrag, 27, who told ABC News that learning Australian road rules was difficult due to the “language barrier”, and that failing her driving test made her determined to pass one day.
“I highly recommend this course to others, especially individuals who are new refugees or immigrants to the country,” said Ms Azrag, who hopes to become a neurologist.
Another participant, 62-year-old Laresa Bowles from the Philippines, also blamed her poor English for failing to get her licence during the decade she has been in Australia.
Acting Sergeant Marissa Ravenhall, one of the three police officers who taught the safety course, said immigrants tended to struggle to get their full licence because “t’s just such a different environment for them to drive in”.
Ms Bowles agreed, saying: “Especially me from the Philippines, because we are always at the right side … it’s very hard for us to understand.”
The course, held at the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council (GTLC) in collaboration with the Latrobe Community Health Service, includes five two-hour safe driving information sessions, and two free driving lessons on completion.
It is open to those who “identify as culturally and linguistically diverse”, and who hold a valid learner’s permit or have a “commitment to obtain by conclusion of course”.
Earlier this month the GTLC shared a photo of the women who had completed the course.
“This has greatly enhanced the women’s confidence and ability to drive safely on the roads, giving them a much stronger foundation for their independence and personal growth,” the union body said.
Header image credit: Gippsland Trades & Labour Council Inc (Facebook)
