Automated vehicles

Automated vehicles can perform the entire driving task on a sustained basis without human input. These vehicles are equipped with hardware and software that in combination are referred to as an “Automated Driving System” (ADS). When an ADS is engaged, it controls all of the tactical and operational functions necessary to operate the vehicle.

There are potential safety and productivity benefits to be realised from automated vehicle deployment. Automated vehicles are being trialled in Australia and overseas but are not yet available commercially or in general use on public roads in Australia. The Australian Government is working closely with state and territory governments, industry and the research community to prepare Australia for their safe deployment.

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)

More advanced automation is steadily appearing in new vehicles, however, unlike ADS, this technology supports the driver rather than taking over from the driving task.

Many vehicles on Australian roads currently have some Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features such as lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and park-assist. More advanced systems provide steering assistance alongside managing the vehicle’s speed. These are designed to support the driver but do not make the vehicle 'automated' by themselves. When ADAS features are engaged, the driver must maintain oversight of the driving task and intervene if required to maintain safety. The human driver remains responsible for operating a vehicle when using ADAS features.

The department is updating the national road vehicle standards for steering systems which will cover some of the simpler automated steering tasks such as lane keep assist and low speed parking manoeuvres. Separately, a new national road vehicle standard for ADS is also under development which will adopt the international UN regulation.

Automated Vehicle Safety Law

Current Australian laws do not allow for the use of automated vehicles on public roads. These laws assume a human driver remains responsible for operating a vehicle. Australia needs to update its regulatory frameworks for vehicles to ensure the safe operation and use of automated vehicles on public roads.

Infrastructure and transport ministers, through the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers' Meeting, have agreed on a national approach to regulating automated vehicles. The department is working with the National Transport Commission and state and territory governments to implement this national approach. A key objective is an end-to-end regulatory framework that will support the safe deployment of automated vehicles.

A new law called the Automated Vehicle Safety Law (AVSL) will be an important part of this framework. The department is developing the AVSL in line with the National in-service safety framework for automated vehicles developed by the National Transport Commission. This approach is designed to ensure responsibility for the safe operation of an ADS for its operational life is assigned to the right parties, whether it is installed at the time the vehicle is first provided to market or after the vehicle is in-service. The AVSL will be a key feature of the nationally consistent regulatory framework needed to ensure the safe operation of automated vehicles on Australian roads.

The AVSL will place the responsibility for the safety of an automated driving system on a corporation rather than the human driver. This corporation will need to be certified as having the right skills, capacity and capabilities to ensure the safety of the ADS over its operational lifetime. This corporation is commonly referred to as the Automated Driving System Entity (ADSE). A new automated vehicle regulator will oversee the entity’s compliance with its regulatory obligations.

The new AVSL will be supported by complementary changes to state and territory legislation and to existing Commonwealth legislation such as the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018. Together these laws will form the end-to-end regulatory framework, including by:

  • making sure an automated vehicle is safe when it is first supplied in Australia, including that it meets any relevant technical standards for an ADS
  • ensuring that there is a corporation (the Automated Driving System Entity) with the right skills and capabilities to take responsibility for the safety of the ADS for its on-road life
  • keeping the automated driving system safe when it is operating on the road by placing clear safety duties and other obligations on the ADSE
  • ensuring that people that use and interact with an automated vehicle understand what their roles and responsibilities are.
  • establishing a publicly accessible automated vehicle register that will identify the ADSE responsible for an ADS as well as other information necessary to support consumer awareness and understanding

What's next?

From April to June 2024, the department and the National Transport Commission jointly undertook public consultation on the proposed automated vehicle regulatory framework. There were 63 submissions made in response to the consultation paper, which have helped inform automated vehicle policy.

For more information you can visit: https://www.ntc.gov.au/transport-reform/automated-vehicle-program

In international developments, the United Nations World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations has developed a new technical regulation for ADS, which was agreed by the forum in June 2026. Australia is developing a new national road vehicle standard which will adopt this UN Regulation and be the technical standard that governs the design of ADSs under Australia’s automated vehicle regulatory framework. A broader review of the national road vehicle standards is underway to address barriers that might otherwise limit supply of AVs.