Prise it loose yourself.

What to ask for — the gaps worth exposing

• Crash history at a "goldmine" camera — the 5-year crash record at a specific high-revenue camera site, to test whether it's a blackspot or a trap (see Goldmines).
• The contractor's payment model — how the private camera operator is actually paid (per hour vs per fine), and the contract value (see Contracts).
• Error & withdrawal rates — how many camera fines were reviewed, withdrawn or refunded, and the false-positive rate (see Errors).
• Road-safety fund spending — how much of the hypothecated fund was collected vs actually spent (the underspend, see The Money).
• Marketing spend — the advertising/campaign budget vs fine revenue (the propaganda ratio, see The Strategy).

Template 2 — Contractor payment & contract terms

Tests the incentive to over-issue fines and the secrecy of the deals.

To the FOI/GIPA Officer,

Under the [relevant FOI/GIPA Act], I request:

1. The current contract(s) between [agency] and the private operator(s)
   of the state's speed / red-light / mobile-phone detection cameras
   (e.g. Acusensus, Redflex/Verra Mobility, Serco, Jenoptik).
2. In particular, the clauses setting out HOW the operator is
   remunerated — specifically whether payment is per hour of
   enforcement, a fixed fee, or linked in any way to the number or
   value of infringements detected.
3. The total value of each such contract and its start and end dates.

Where commercial-in-confidence is claimed, please release the payment-
structure and total-value clauses with only genuinely commercial pricing
detail redacted, and state the public-interest reasoning for any redaction.

[Name] [Contact details] [Date]

Template 4 — Road-safety fund underspend

Tests "it all goes back into road safety."

To the FOI/GIPA Officer,

Under the [relevant FOI/GIPA Act], for each of the last 5 financial
years, I request:

1. the total revenue paid INTO the [Community Road Safety Fund /
   Better Roads Victoria Trust / Road Trauma Trust Account / relevant
   fund] from camera and traffic fines;
2. the total amount actually SPENT from that fund each year;
3. the closing balance / accumulated unspent amount each year; and
4. a breakdown of what the spent money was spent on.

Electronic format preferred.

[Name] [Contact details] [Date]

Template 5 — The Community Road Safety Fund (the loop)

Prises open the self-funding loop on The Fund — how much comes in, how much is spent, and how much bankrolls more cameras and police. Send to accessapplications@transport.nsw.gov.au (Transport for NSW).

Send to: accessapplications@transport.nsw.gov.au  (Transport for NSW)
Subject: Informal access request (GIPA) — Community Road Safety Fund

To the Access to Information / GIPA Officer,

Under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW), I request
informal release of the following. If informal release is declined, please
treat this as a formal access application and advise the $30 application fee.

For each of the last 5 financial years:
1. Total revenue paid INTO the Community Road Safety Fund, broken down by
   source — fixed speed cameras, mobile speed cameras, red-light cameras,
   mobile-phone/seatbelt cameras, average/point-to-point cameras, and any
   allocation from the Consolidated Fund.
2. Total amount SPENT from the Fund each year, itemised by program — in
   particular the amounts spent on (a) police enforcement and (b) operating
   the automated camera enforcement program itself.
3. The closing balance / accumulated unspent amount at the end of each year.
4. Any amount transferred FROM the Fund back into the Consolidated Fund.

Please provide documents in electronic form (a spreadsheet if available).

[Your name] · [email or postal address] · [date]

Template 7 — The statistic they never publish

Goes to the heart of Speed: the isolated causal contribution of illegal speeding. Send to the Commonwealth department that houses BITRE — foi@infrastructure.gov.au (no fee; a plain email is enough).

Send to: foi@infrastructure.gov.au  (Dept of Infrastructure / BITRE — no fee)
Subject: FOI request — isolated causal contribution of illegal speeding

To the FOI Coordinator,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth), I request access to any
document, dataset or analysis held by the Department or by BITRE that:

1. quantifies the number or proportion of fatal or serious-injury crashes
   attributable specifically to a driver EXCEEDING THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT
   on a road that was otherwise compliant — as distinct from "travelling
   too fast for the conditions" (often at or below the limit), and as
   distinct from crashes primarily caused by alcohol, drugs, fatigue or
   distraction; and
2. sets out the methodology and definition by which a crash is classified
   as "speed-related" or "speeding-related" in national crash statistics.

If no such document exists, I ask the Department to confirm that in writing.

A plain electronic copy is fine. I'm happy to narrow scope to stay within
any processing-charge threshold.

[Your name] · [contact] · [date]

Template 9 — Cabin-camera accuracy & the contract

The false-positive rate no one publishes, plus how the operator is paid (see Cabin Cameras, Contracts). To accessapplications@transport.nsw.gov.au.

Send to: accessapplications@transport.nsw.gov.au  (Transport for NSW)
Subject: Informal access request (GIPA) — phone/seatbelt camera accuracy & contract

To the Access to Information / GIPA Officer,

Under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW), for the last
3 financial years for mobile-phone and seatbelt detection cameras:

1. The number of vehicle images captured; the number AI-flagged as possible
   offences; and the number REJECTED at human review (i.e. the machine's
   false-positive count or rate).
2. The number of penalty notices issued; the number challenged/reviewed;
   and the number WITHDRAWN or refunded, with the total value.
3. The retention/deletion policy for non-offence ("innocent") images.
4. The current contract(s) with the camera operator (Acusensus), in
   particular the clauses setting out HOW the operator is paid — per hour,
   fixed fee, or linked to the number/value of detections — and the total
   contract value.

Where commercial-in-confidence is claimed over the payment structure, please
release those clauses with only genuine pricing detail redacted, and state
the public-interest reasoning.

[Your name] · [contact] · [date]

Template 11 — Victoria: revenue, tolerance & siting

The Victorian versions of the same questions, including the 2026 VAGO "15 of 33" siting gap. To foi@transport.vic.gov.au (Dept of Transport & Planning); cc foi@police.vic.gov.au for enforcement/siting.

Send to: foi@transport.vic.gov.au  (Dept of Transport & Planning)
Cc:      foi@police.vic.gov.au     (Victoria Police — enforcement & siting)
Subject: FOI request — road-safety camera revenue, tolerance and site selection

To the FOI Officer,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic), for the last 3 financial
years:

1. Road-safety-camera fine revenue by camera type.
2. The enforcement tolerance applied before a camera issues an infringement.
3. For distracted-driver and seatbelt cameras: images captured, AI-flagged,
   rejected at human review (false positives), fines issued, reviewed and
   withdrawn.
4. The crash history and site-selection basis for the AI camera sites
   examined in the 2026 VAGO audit (the finding that 15 of 33 sites had no
   crash record).

I request a fee waiver on public-interest grounds. Electronic copy.

[Your name] · [contact] · [date]

Where to send it — verified contacts

The addresses below were checked against each agency's own page. Where an agency prefers a portal or a mandatory form, that's noted — using it is the safest route.

• NSW (GIPA) — ask for informal release first (free); if refused, a formal application is $30 and the agency has 20 working days. Oversight: IPC NSW.
• VIC (FOI) — ~$34.50 application fee, waivable for hardship or public interest; 30 days. Oversight: OVIC.
• QLD (RTI) — a formal request needs the approved RTI form and card payment via the e-RTI portal; but ask the RTI team for free "administrative access" first. Oversight: OIC Qld.
• Federal (FOI) — no application fee, a plain email works, 30 days. Oversight: OAIC.
• SA / WA / TAS / ACT / NT — each has its own FOI/RTI Act; adapt any template above and search "[state] FOI request".

Fees change on 1 July each year (VIC/QLD) — confirm the current figure on the agency page. Always ask for a fee waiver on public-interest grounds. Got something back? Send it in via whistle@theradicalparty.com or GitHub — we'll add it, with credit or in confidence.

Got a fine? Know your moves

• Request a review. Every state lets you ask the issuing agency to review a fine — cite faulty signage, calibration doubt, or exceptional circumstances (see Errors: a camera certificate is not automatic guilt).
• Elect to have it heard in court if you genuinely dispute it — the prosecution must prove the offence, including that the device was operating correctly.
• Can't afford it? In NSW, ask about a Work and Development Order; other states have hardship schemes. Don't let an unpaid fine snowball into a licence loss (see Punishing the Poor).
• Private "parking fine"? On private land it's usually a breach-of-contract invoice, not a government fine — often an unenforceable penalty (see the parking racket). Get advice before paying.

General information only — not legal advice. Rules and deadlines differ by state and change over time; check your official state authority and consider free community legal help before acting.