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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

Brisbane drivers use everyday items to avoid camera-issued parking fines

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Brisbane drivers in parking enforcement hotspots are obscuring licence plates with household items to avoid detection by automatic cameras.
  • Brisbane City Council has issued 176,494 parking infringement notices worth almost A$35 million this calendar year, including more than 8,000 from the new cameras.
  • Queensland police say plates must remain visible from 45 degrees in all directions at 20 metres, and officers can fine motorists whose plates are covered or unreadable.

Plastic sheets, camping chairs and even dishcloths have become tools for Brisbane drivers trying to stay ahead of a new parking enforcement system.

Residents in inner-city hotspots have been covering their licence plates to avoid automatic number-plate readers as Brisbane City Council expands its use of cameras. The council says it knows the practice occurs from time to time, but it cannot issue infringement notices for obscured or altered plates under state legislation.

Our officers can undertake patrols on foot to determine what's required on a case-by-case basis.

· Brisbane City Council spokespersonThe council explained how officers can respond when drivers try to avoid camera detection.

Queensland police say vehicle plates must be visible from 45 degrees in every direction at a distance of 20 metres. That requirement covers plates blocked by bull bars, tow bars, driving lights or any material, as well as plates that have faded or become unreadable. Police regularly check plate conditions and can issue fines when they do not comply.

That means that plates covered by bull bars, towbars, driving lights, faded or unreadable are all illegal.

· Queensland Police Service spokespersonPolice described the visibility requirements for vehicle number plates.

The council has issued 176,494 parking infringement notices this calendar year, totaling A$34,941,602. Mobile enforcement vehicles delivered almost 100,000 of those notices. The new cameras, which operate around the clock in parking complaint hotspots, accounted for just over 8,000.

The system began with four hotspots in early 2025 and expanded to more than 40 locations in November. Graham Street in South Brisbane and Park Road in Milton alone accounted for more than 3,000 notices. The cameras target vehicles stopped illegally in clearways, no-stopping zones, bus zones, loading zones and on yellow lines.

When a vehicle parks illegally in a clearway, no stopping zone or bus zone, it causes delays for thousands of people trying to reach their destinations.

· Sarah HuttonThe council customer services chair explained the wider effects of illegal parking.

Council customer services chair Sarah Hutton said illegal parking delays thousands of people and affects traffic flow and safety. The council says officers can also patrol on foot and assess individual cases, even though it lacks the power to fine drivers specifically for obscuring their plates.

Even a short stop in the wrong place can have a big impact on traffic flow and safety.

· Sarah HuttonHutton defended the council's parking enforcement measures.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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