I don't have a problem with yearly safety inspections. In fact, having worked in a garage and seeing some of the old heaps that come in I think the sooner QLD instigates this kind of measure the better! There's nothing wrong with getting unsafe cars of any age off the road until repaired. Genuine enthusiasts of older cars (not hoons) keep their cars maintained above Safety Inspection standards anyway.

Emissions testing on the other hand I would have concerns about. Eg, would they test you to the standards of the year of manufacture, or to current standards?

QLD has 'classic rego' available to vehicles 30yrs or older with restrictions on when and where they can be driven at a reduced cost. Maybe they could adopt a scheme like that that nation-wide as well, and exempt those vehicle from emissions tests (but not the safety inspections), to enable enthusiasts to keep their classic cars and our motoring history alive. The system is open to abuse however.

The safety issues mentioned in the article are probably more related to the crash safety of older vs newer cars, and there is absolutely no denying that newer cars are significantly better in that regard. And also in terms of passive safety like vehicle dynamics and braking, the majority of 20+ year old cars are fairly woeful by comparison to new cars even if they are well maintained. Those that are well modified are certainly a very small minority.

It's only a matter of time I guess. Just hope it's implemented fairly when the time comes...