Personalised Number Plates 2017

Trevor, or Stretch to his mates because he is "very tall”, is a mine worker who loves his car so much that his choice of numberplate had to reflect that passion.

The GT4EVA plates take pride of place on his XY GT Falcon.

"I just wanted to put some numberplates on it that stood out from the rest,” Trevor said.

He is one of 3644 Rockhampton region residents who in the past year have personalised their vehicle with unique numberplates.

The plates cost from $165 to $3300 and the region is home to a wide array of unique registrations including these beauties: OMG MUD, HIP100, L1VE1T, C1NDYS, SPUNKYB and FORD36.

For some people, personalised plates are like chips - you can't have just one.

And Trevor is a prime example of that.

He has MAC392 on his Mustang and he also has TKD11 (his initials and date of birth) on another vehicle and SRD12 on his partner's car.

"I just love them - it just makes your car different to everybody else's,” Trevor said.

Personalised Plates Queensland managing director Jemma Elder said more than 750,000 personalised plates had been issued.

Jemma said vehicle owners were happy to spend big on them because they were a "fun and creative way” to express themselves.

"A lot of people are very proud of their vehicles and it's a way for them to express themselves and their passion for their cars and to complement the look of their car,” she said.

While most people opt for letter and number combinations that will not offend, there are some motorists who like to choose plates that are not appropriate for our roads.

"We work very closely with the Department of Transport and Main Roads who provide very strict guidelines to adhere to,” Jemma said.

"We run every plate against the very strict assessment criteria to ensure they are clean and that they are appropriate for display.”

While PPQ sells the unique regos on more than 250 types of plates and designs, it's the DTMR that produces the finished plate.

Canberrans who want to show their support for marriage equality can now do so in a novel way - rainbow number plates.

Following the legalisation of same-sex marriage, the ACT government has announced it will bring into circulation number plates with a rainbow band instead of the traditional slogan.

The colourful plates will cost a one-off fee of $60 and regulatory services minster Gordon Ramsay said he expected demand for them to be high.

The fee covers the cost of production of the plate, and unlike the rainbow buses and roundabout, Mr Ramsay said there would be no extra cost to the ACT taxpayer.

ACT government to offer free marriage certificates for same-sex couples who wed when briefly legal in Canberra
Location chosen for Canberra's rainbow roundabout
"The government has been supportive all the way through of people's rights," Mr Ramsay said.

"We're the most welcoming and inclusive city and I want to make sure we continue to be able affirm that and celebrate that."

Three in four Canberrans voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage in the recent postal survey, an "emphatic" result Chief Minister Andrew Barr said gave the government licence to make Canberra more "inclusive".

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Asked if the number plates could make cars a target given 26 per cent of the ACT voted against marriage equality, Mr Ramsay said he had "full confidence" Canberrans would respect the rights of others.

People can apply to have their existing 'Y' series plates remade with the rainbow design, although it will take about four weeks.

The government also announced on Friday it will waive $55 certificate fee for couples married previously under the ACT's Marriage Equality (Same Sex) Act 2013 if they marry again.

Couples who previously registered a civil union under the Civil Union Act 2012 can also have their fee waived.

There are about 80 couples eligible in a move that is expected to cost the ACT government about $4400.

ACT Opposition leader Alistair Coe criticised the government's "grandstanding and expenditure of public resources".

"All Canberrans, regardless of their sexuality, deserve a government that concentrates on health, education and all the other actual responsibilities of the ACT government," Mr Coe said.

MOTORISTS in the UK are still being targeted by new DVLA email, message and text message scams in Britain and here’s what to do if you are.

Criminals posing as the Driver Vehicle Licence Agency (DVLA) are still sending bogus messages to motorists, to attempt to maliciously acquire data or money from them.

These criminals are being exposed on Twitter now as motorists are savvily becoming wise to these messages.

DCI David Coleman, Deputy Director of Intelligence, Kent & Essex SCD tweeted a picture of a fake text he received.

The message read “We would like to notify you that you have an outstanding vehicle tax refund of GBP 220.50 from an overpayment, request refund dvlc.au1h.com.”

The DVLA has been explicit in the past about its policy regarding contacting customers.

It replied to a customers reporting another potential phishing scam saying “we're already aware of this scam and we are investigating.

“We advise drivers that we don't send texts that contain links. Please ignore it and don’t click on any link.”

On its website it reiterates how it will never contact a driver via text or email.

“We’re aware that some members of the public are receiving emails, texts and telephone calls claiming to be from DVLA.

“Links to a website mocked up to look like a DVLA online service are sometimes included in the message.