Could someone advise of how the yearly car registration works and how much it costs per vehicle.

You register the car for a year, just like road tax. Cost depends on number of cylinders / capacity, but about $500 a year which includes third party personal insurance (for damage to people not property).

Thanks, would I be correct in assuming that the insurance can be topped up to fully comprehesive if this is the case.

Yes. You can top it up to third party / fire / theft or fully comp.

If you're after a number, think of what you pay in pounds and change the pound sign to a dollar sign.

The cost varies from state to state also.

Here in WA, you get a letter through the post every six months or year and you can pay it on-line if you wish via Credit Card - none of this finding a post office that actually DOES car tax and then finding your insurance details and MOT [no MOT here which explains all the old junk boxes on the road, including mine !]

The insurance that you are talking about is a extra cost to the one you pay for with your rego.

That's right. So not exactly a top up, but in addition to.

I was just clarifying for the OP, who seemed to think the extra comprehensive insurance was part of the rego by the way he wrote the question.

BTW, I thought you were going to Gilhooleys?

Apologies, crossed wires.

If I'd been in town I probably would have, but working from home today and a long way from the CBD.

sorry was reading the old posts ,no mot??
having done mots every year i am getting my head around this , can sombody tell me how and who checks that the cars are roadworthy?
is it as simply as taking your v5 and cash to the office and they give u number plates??
what if the car is like freds and has no floor? put cardboard over it and go .
or am i missing lots?

No I think you've got it bang-on. There are no checks for roadworthyness, just your responsiblity to make sure it's safe. Scary, huh?!

when a vechile is sold it has to be tested as road worthy this applies to private sales as well

Yea, but what I meant was but you can pretty much own the car forever without having any safety checks on it. Whereas some of us might not dream of not having our car checked out regularly there are plenty of people out there who don't give a toss but we still have to share the roads with them. That's what I meant by scary. I guess it's the more irresponsible owners that CTP was introduced for. CTP doesn't count for much if responsible people are being killed by other peoples unroadworthy cars though.

Random vehicle checks in car parks (tyres etc) and on roads - they have occasional blitzes and you can get an unroadworthyness ticket. I seem to get checked about once a year just driving around Canberra.

I saw an old car the other day pull up at e supermarket, women and three kids got out, anyway I noticed the tyres were bald to thepoint where the metal was sticking out, shocking.

I reckon although it is a cost yearly roadworthy tests should be compulsory.