GAWLER Council has blocked its Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) from writing to transport minister Stephan Knoll with its concerns about cuts to learner driver testing in Gawler.

Instead, council will pursue a meeting between mayor Karen Redman, the YAC chairperson and Mr Knoll to discuss the issue.

At their ordinary meeting last Tuesday, elected members voted 5-3 against allowing the YAC to write to the minister, with councillors viewing a letter as a “double up” to correspondence from
Ms Redman sent to Mr Knoll a fortnight ago.

Councillor David Hughes, who voted against the motion, also questioned whether it was the YAC’s role to contact ministers.

“I agree this is a serious issue affecting our youth, but whether council delegates approval to write letters to the minister, I’m not sure we’ve ever done that before,” he said.

“Normally, official protocol says go through the mayor, and the mayor has already sent a letter via a Gawler Council motion.

“I really don’t think it’s appropriate, and it’s also a double up”.

Councillor Cody Davies, a former YAC member who voted for the motion, said the committee felt it was important for youth in Gawler to show their disappointment at the State Government decision.

“The context behind this, on top of the letter from the mayor, I think it’s generally felt that the minister probably gets a lot of annoyed emails from mayors,” he said.

“It would be good to have the youth move a motion saying they are upset by this decision.”

After the YAC’s motion was lost, Ms Redman suggested an alternative motion, which would see her and the YAC chairperson seek a meeting with Mr Knoll to discuss the test cuts face-to-face.

The motion, which Ms Redman said would take council’s opposition to the cut to “another level”, was carried unanimously.

Cr Hughes, speaking to the mayor’s motion, said the axing of vehicle on road testing locally was a “huge inconvenience to the youth in our town”.

“Our town does support around four or five driving instructors; they now have to take their students to Nuriootpa and Elizabeth,” he said.

“Some of the driving instructors have said they will take their students up at their own cost, which is really good of them.

“But, it means in that travel time they actually lose a client, it means they can’t teach someone else.”