Photo: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mobile phone rules for L and P platers in Australia range from a total ban on L, P1 and P2 in NSW and the ACT to WA, where learners and P platers follow the same phone rules as every other driver. This checklist compares the learner, P1 and P2 phone rules in all eight states and territories as of November 2026. It covers maps, music, CarPlay and the passenger loudspeaker rule.
Key facts
- Total ban on L, P1 and P2: NSW, the ACT, the NT and Victoria. In Victoria, navigation and audio set up before you drive are allowed, but you must not touch the device or use voice commands.
- Total ban on L and P1, general rules on P2: SA and Tasmania.
- Queensland: a total ban for learners and P1 drivers under 25, and their passengers must not use a phone on loudspeaker.
- WA: no L or P-specific ban. The general rules apply: calls only with the phone in a fixed mount or touch-free, and no texting.
- No state lets any driver hold a phone to text, email or video message while driving.
Phone rules by state and licence stage
| State | Learner | P1 (red) | P2 (green) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | No use at all, even stopped | No use at all | No use at all |
| VIC | No touching, no voice commands; navigation or audio set up before driving only | Same | Same |
| QLD | Under 25: no use at all; passengers no loudspeaker. 25+: general rules | Under 25: same as learners. 25+: general rules | General rules |
| WA | General rules | General rules | General rules |
| SA | No function at all, including GPS | No function at all, including GPS | General rules |
| TAS | No use, including hands-free; music or GPS set up before driving only | Same as learners | Hands-free or commercial holder allowed |
| ACT | Full ban; no-touch audio and mounted GPS only | Same | Same |
| NT | No function at all, including maps, hands-free and loudspeaker | Same (one P stage) | Not applicable |
Maps, music and CarPlay
| State | Phone maps on L or P1 | Music from the phone on L or P1 |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | No. A separate GPS unit or the car’s built-in navigation is allowed | No, not even through Bluetooth |
| VIC | Yes, if set up before driving and not touched | Yes, if set up before driving |
| QLD (under 25) | No, even mounted and hands-free | No |
| WA | Yes, in a fixed mount, without touching the phone | General rules apply |
| SA | No, even mounted | No phone function at all |
| TAS | Yes, if set up before driving | Yes, if set up before driving |
| ACT | Mounted GPS only, with no interaction at all | Yes, if not held and no interaction, including by voice |
| NT | No | No |
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto run off your phone, so the same limits apply. In NSW, SA, the NT and for Queensland under-25s, assume they are off limits on L and P1. Victoria allows navigation and audio set up before driving, with simple changes made through the car’s inbuilt screen, but no messaging or voice-command calls.
What “driving” includes
Phone rules apply while the car is moving and while it is stopped but not parked: at traffic lights, in a queue or in stop-start traffic. NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT say this directly. To use your phone, pull over and park legally. Do not stop in an emergency lane.
Narrow exceptions
- Showing a digital licence to police: allowed in NSW, Queensland and SA (SA when stopped in a road-related area).
- Paying at a drive-through or car park while stopped: allowed in Queensland and SA.
- A phone in a pocket or pouch that you cannot operate: allowed in Queensland.
Penalties
| State | Penalty for an illegal phone offence (L or P) |
|---|---|
| NSW | Fine and 5 demerit points (10 in double demerit periods) |
| VIC | 4 demerit points (VicRoads Rules for P drivers brochure); check the current fine |
| ACT | Messaging, social media or apps: 4 points and $632. Other use, such as a call: 3 points and $514 |
| QLD, WA, SA, TAS, NT | Fines and demerit points apply; check the current figures with your transport department |
Novice demerit limits are low. In the ACT one messaging offence reaches the 4-point limit and suspends an L or P licence. In Victoria, a phone offence plus almost any other offence can cost you your licence. See demerit limits for L and P platers compared.
Detection cameras
Mobile phone detection cameras operate in NSW, where they check for illegal phone use anywhere and at any time, and in Victoria, which also runs seatbelt detection cameras. Other states may also use them, so check with your transport department. On L or P plates, a camera fine also brings demerit points.
On your driving test
Touching a phone or smart watch fails the NT practical test. Answering or using a phone is a fail item in the NSW Driving Test. Switch it off and put it out of reach before the examiner gets in.
Supervisors and passengers
- A supervisor sitting beside you is not driving. But in Queensland, passengers in a car driven by a learner or P1 driver under 25 must not use a phone on loudspeaker.
- Handing navigation to your supervisor is the official advice in Queensland and SA. In Victoria it is illegal to have a video display running where the driver can see it, even while stopped but not parked.
Practical setup before every drive
- Phone on silent or Do Not Disturb (driving mode).
- Out of reach: glovebox, bag or back seat.
- Route and music set before you start, only where your state allows it.
- Your supervisor or a passenger handles navigation changes.
Common questions
Can P platers use Bluetooth for calls?
Not in NSW, Victoria, the ACT or the NT, on either P stage. Not on P1 in SA, in Tasmania, or in Queensland if you are under 25. Yes on P2 in SA, Tasmania and Queensland, and on all P plates in WA, under the general rules.
Can I use Google Maps on my Ls?
In Victoria and Tasmania, yes, if it is set up before you drive and you do not touch it. In WA, yes, in a fixed mount without touching it. Not in NSW, SA, the NT or, for under-25s, Queensland. In the ACT, a mounted GPS is allowed only with no interaction.
Can I touch my phone at a red light?
No, in every state. Stopped at lights still counts as driving.
Do the rules change when I move interstate on my Ps?
Yes. You follow the rules of the state you are driving in. See driving interstate on L or P plates.
Can I use my phone to log logbook hours?
Start the trip in the app before you move off, then put the phone away. Tasmania and WA both say to set the app running while parked.
Does a smart watch count?
Yes. Victoria bans touching wearable devices, the ACT ban covers wearables, and touching a smart watch fails the NT test.
State guides: NSW phone and screen rules, Victoria phone and device rules, Queensland P1 and P2 rules, SA P1 rules, Tasmanian P1 and P2 rules, ACT learner and P plate rules, NT P plate rules and WA red P plate rules. All P rules side by side: P plate rules compared.
Sources
- NSW Government, “Mobile phones, digital screens and GPS” (nsw.gov.au)
- Transport for NSW, “Road User Handbook” (nsw.gov.au)
- Transport Victoria, “Learner and probationary driver road rules” (transport.vic.gov.au)
- VicRoads, “Rules for P drivers” brochure (vicroads.vic.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “Transport Operations (Road Use Management: Road Rules) Regulation 2009” (legislation.qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Main Roads, “Your keys to driving in Queensland” (publications.qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Drive Safe” handbook, section 1.7 Mobile Phones (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Government of South Australia, “The Driver’s Handbook (MR200, February 2026)” (mylicence.sa.gov.au)
- Department of State Growth, “Mobile phone ban” (platesplus.tas.gov.au)
- City Services, “Learner and provisional driver safety” and “Safe plates frequently asked questions” (cityservices.act.gov.au)
- Access Canberra, “ACT Road Rules Handbook” (accesscanberra.act.gov.au)
- Northern Territory Government, “NT Road Users’ Handbook” (nt.gov.au)
- Motor Vehicle Registry, “A guide to the Driving Test”, 2nd Edition, April 2026 (nt.gov.au)