NSW Government cracks down on fraudulent pink- and blue-slip operators

REGIONAL motor vehicle repairers have been put on notice after the first stage of a government crackdown saw more than 200 operators taken offline and a further 200 warned for their role in issuing suspect pink and blue slips.

Since January, Transport for NSW inspectors have conducted targeted audits on 570 pink and blue slip providers, leading to 127 operators having their licence cancelled and 84 being suspended for issuing ‘sight unseen’ pink and blue slips.

Another 223 operators have been issued with warnings for issuing safety compliance documents fraudulently. These operators were based across the Sydney metro area and in the state’s regions, including Tweed Heads and Albury.

Every year, owners of light vehicles that are more than five years old must obtain a pink slip before renewing their registration. Blue slips are obtained by those who are seeking to register a previously unregistered vehicle, while brown slips are issued for heavy vehicles.

Some dodgy operators are illegally issuing pink and blue slips without inspecting vehicles, giving motorists a false sense of security over the safety of their vehicle, or letting people think they are getting a free pass to keep their car on the road.

Typically, a standard operator issues about 2500 pink and blue slips in a year. Usually marketed online as a quick fix, fraudulent services put drivers, passengers and pedestrians at risk by allowing vehicles that are unroadworthy to remain on NSW roads.

So far this year, Transport’s regulatory team has randomly inspected more than 3100 vehicles to ensure they are compliant.

Their inspections have led to 1300 unsafe vehicles being taken off NSW’s roads after identifying more than 6000 defects.

“We know that unsafe vehicles can put lives at risk, which is why we’re cracking down on dishonest and dodgy operators who are knowingly doing the wrong thing,” Minister for Roads and Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison said.

“Getting a dodgy pink or blue slip shouldn’t be looked at as a shortcut. It might save you some time, but it is a serious safety risk and can have fatal consequences.”