Overview
- NSW and the ACT switch on double demerits from 12:01am on 24 December to 11:59pm on 4 January, covering speeding, illegal phone use, seatbelts and motorcycle helmets.
- WA’s double demerit window, already in force since 19 December, also targets drink and drug driving, red-light offences and speed‑camera evasion, with 14 points for detection‑evasion offences.
- NSW’s Operation Christmas and New Year has recorded nearly 3000 speeding detections, 231 drink‑driving and 489 drug‑driving offences since 19 December, with five road deaths reported.
- P‑plate rules differ by state: NSW bans any phone connection including CarPlay for provisional drivers, the ACT allows audio with no interaction at all, and WA permits CarPlay but penalises touching or creating/viewing content.
- Penalties follow the licence holder interstate, and Queensland uses a separate year‑round system that doubles points for repeat offences within 12 months.