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- Error & withdrawal rates — how many camera fines were reviewed, withdrawn or refunded, and the false-positive rate (see Errors).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 1 — Camera siting & crash history
Tests the "cameras go where the crashes are" claim. Address it to your state road agency / police (NSW: Transport for NSW or Revenue NSW; VIC: Dept of Justice & Community Safety; QLD: Transport & Main Roads).
To the FOI/GIPA Officer,
Under the [Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) /
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic) / Right to Information Act 2009 (Qld) /
relevant FOI Act], I request access to the following information:
1. For the fixed/mobile speed or red-light camera located at
[ADDRESS / INTERSECTION], for the most recent 5 financial years:
(a) the number of infringements issued, by year;
(b) the total revenue raised, by year;
(c) the recorded casualty and fatal crash history at that location
for the 5 years BEFORE the camera was installed, and for each
year SINCE; and
(d) the site-selection justification / business case used to approve
the camera at that location.
I ask that documents be provided in electronic form. If any part is
refused, please cite the specific exemption and provide the balance.
[Name] [Contact details] [Date]
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 3 — Error, review & withdrawal rates
The number no one advertises: how often the "infallible" machine is wrong.
To the FOI/GIPA Officer, Under the [relevant FOI/GIPA Act], for each of the last 3 financial years, I request statistics showing, for camera-detected traffic infringements: 1. the total number of infringements issued; 2. the number for which a review was requested; 3. the number withdrawn, waived or refunded, and the total value; 4. for mobile-phone/seatbelt AI cameras: the number of images flagged by the system that were rejected at human review (i.e. the machine's false-positive count or rate); and 5. any internal report on camera accuracy, calibration failures or erroneously issued fines during the period. Electronic format preferred. [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]
Where to send it
| Jurisdiction | Law / regulator |
|---|---|
| NSW | GIPA Act 2009 — agency's "Access to Information" unit; oversight: IPC NSW |
| VIC | FOI Act 1982 — agency FOI officer; oversight: OVIC |
| QLD | RTI Act 2009 — agency RTI unit; oversight: OIC Qld |
| Federal (BITRE, Infrastructure) | FOI Act 1982 — dept FOI officer; oversight: OAIC |
| SA / WA / TAS / ACT / NT | Each has its own FOI/RTI Act — search "[state] FOI request". |
Most jurisdictions have low or no application fee for personal/public-interest requests; some charge for processing time — ask for a fee waiver on public-interest grounds. Found something? The site is open-source — send it in.
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.