Driving examiners are accepting bribes, threatening students with failure and passing others who break road rules during their tests, a report by South Australia's Independent Commissioner Against Corruption warns.
Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) Ann Vanstone handed down a damning report into South Australia's driver licensing industry on Tuesday, after the Office for Public Integrity received more than 40 complaints and reports about the conduct of authorised examiners.
The report found bribery of instructors is "prevalent" in South Australia.
"My officers have received information from students who allege their examiner offered them a guaranteed pass on their driving test if they paid as much as $3,000.39," Ms Vanstone said.
"For some, this price was said to include additional lessons in the event that the student was required to undertake an external test validation by the department, or an auditor presented for the test and the examiner had no choice but to fail the student and pass them at a later time.
"An allegation against one examiner was that they would fail a student unless they paid a fee of $2,200.41.
"In other cases, where the student failed a driving test, allegations were made that an examiner subsequently offered the student a pass for amounts of up to $500.42."
The ICAC's report also found some examiners had allegedly "failed to ensure students completed all the required tasks" before passing them, including sticking to the speed limit or designated route during a test.
"Other allegations were that authorised examiners issued certificates of competency despite having to intervene, for example by applying the brakes, or provided assistance to students during an assessment," the report said.
"Perhaps the most serious consequence of conduct of this nature is the potential for there to be licensed motorists in the community who have not demonstrated the required standards of competency.
Ms Vanstone said while there were "reputable examiners in the industry who operate with integrity," others acted in "corrupt" and "inappropriate" ways.
She said some only accepted cash and did not provide receipts.
"While not a breach of the rules … driving instructors have an obligation to operate their business in accordance with Australian Consumer Law," Ms Vanstone said.
"This means that businesses have an obligation to provide a receipt for any payment over $75.
"One conclusion might be that not doing so avoids any record of the service provided, the date it was provided, and the fee that was charged.
"One has to question what might be the motivation for doing this?"
The report included several recommendations for reform, including that a price guide be made available to students, that "package deals" for lessons and tests be banned, and that authorised examiners be required to keep records of their clients and any payments received.
Bribes common in multicultural communities, report finds
Ms Vanstone said there had been a "pattern" of bribery allegations within South Australia's multicultural communities.
"It is not surprising that individuals seek out driving instructors and examiners from their own communities [and] there are most certainly advantages to dealing with people who understand the relevant language and culture," she said.
The report found language and cultural factors created a "power imbalance" and increased the risk of corruption.
"With little competition, some examiners might find that they can get away with charging significant fees for licences simply because members of their community have few alternatives and become somewhat dependent on the examiner to get their licence," Ms Vanstone said.
"For some nationalities, it is a common and acceptable practice to offer and accept bribes when dealing with public officers: perhaps so much so that, for some, they do not even consider bribery to be a crime.
"Even for those who do, they are unlikely to report it for fear of retaliation, or simply because they believe nothing will be done about it."
Ms Vanstone said more education was needed within multicultural communities regarding the laws and government expectations around driver licensing in South Australia.
