Shameless cash grab trumps safety for Australia's state governments
By Barclay McGain
Motorists in New South Wales opposed to the removal of speed camera warning signs received critical parliamentary support from an unexpected source this week: The Labor party. The move led by new state Labor leader Chris Minns furthers the long-held notion that the use of unmarked cars and hidden speed cameras is simply a tool championed by incumbent governments to raise revenue and fund their big-spending agendas.
Across Australia’s east coast, the political split is blatant with all three incumbent governments in support of hidden speed cameras. It poses the question: Why is a party’s position perfectly aligned with whether or not it is in power?
It’s clear the answer has nothing to do with reducing the road toll and everything to do with serving as another quick, dirty cash grab for the state. The introduction of hidden speed cameras and removal of warning signs in late 2020 triggered a staggering 1599% rise in low-range speeding fines. In March alone, the revenue generated from NSW motorists exceeding the speed limit by less than 10km/hr ballooned to well over $4million – an enormous surge from the $201,925 in fines dished out in March of 2020.
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In fact, low-range speeding fines represented 82.93% of all speeding offences this year. In the past, this figure has never exceeded 70%. Most alarmingly, the NSW government spent its lowest amount on high-visibility policing in the 2019-20 financial year in more than 8 years. The $27.1m spend is dwarfed only by the $40.6m cost of rolling out the new speed cameras.
In a state crippled by COVID lockdowns – which has already taken motorists off the road and left small businesses in tatters – the state government is hellbent on pursuing this undercover operation to pickpocket hard working Aussies. When the campaign is to defund warning signs about the detriments of speeding in favour of a sneaky cash grab, can we really trust the bureaucrats?
According to the Queensland Police Union’s Ian Leavers, no, we can’t.
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“All forms of mobile, covert and unmarked speed cameras including speed camera trailers do nothing to affect the road toll,” Mr Leavers said. “These devices only serve to damage the reputation of the police. Only a highly visible policing presence and highly marked police speed camera vans with large police decals all over them staffed by police are the way to address the road toll”.
While state governments are out to find new revenue streams to address their fiscal woes in the wake of the pandemic, vigilance should be at an all time high from all sides of the political spectrum. In the words of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, “the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money”.