Fines set to increase by 3.5 per cent for infringements in Queensland
Penalties for infringements like using a mobile phone while driving will soon increase in Queensland. (Supplied: Transport and Main Roads)
In short:
State government fines in Queensland are set to increase by 3.5 per cent from next financial year.
For example, the increase will see motorists caught speeding up to 10kph over the limit fined $333 — $11 more than the current penalty.
According to last year's budget, the state was tipped to make $794 million in 2024-25 from fines and forfeitures, which was up from $741 million the year before.
Queensland rule-breakers will soon face steeper penalties, with all state government fines set to increase by 3.5 per cent from next financial year.
Under law, the government can only hike fines by a default rate of 3.5 per cent, unless Treasurer David Janetzki signs off on a different increase by the end of March.
Mr Janetzki's office has confirmed to the ABC he won't adjust the increase — and will keep it at the default rate for the 2025-26 financial year.
It means for motorists caught speeding up to 10kph over the limit, they will soon be fined $333, which is $11 more than the current penalty.
The fine for driving more than 40kph over the limit — which is the highest speeding penalty tier — will climb by $65 to about $1,918.
The state's revenue from fines is projected to reach $912 million by 2025-26. (ABC News: Chris Gillette)
The penalty for a driver using their mobile phone behind the wheel, or not wearing a seatbelt, is also expected to climb $42 to about $1,250.
The fine for disobeying a stop sign will increase by $17 to about $500 and the penalty for not stopping at a red light will also jump $22 to $667.
In a brief statement, a spokesperson for the Treasurer's office said: "Any change will be applied in accordance with the process under the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992."
The 3.5 per cent increase will still need to be made official with a change to regulations later this year.
Greater hikes seen in recent years
The former Labor government approved fines hikes beyond 3.5 per cent, with a 4.2 per cent increase this financial year and a 7.7 per cent jump in 2023-24.
According to last year's budget, the state was tipped to make $794 million in 2024-25 from fines and forfeitures, which was up from $741 million the year before.
From 2025-26, the state's revenue from fines is projected to reach $912 million.
As of December last year, the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) was also pursuing more than 100,000 unpaid mobile phone fines worth almost $110 million.
Speeding fines across Queensland will soon increase. (Supplied: Transport and Main Roads)
It is a sharp increase from the $8.7 million SPER was pursuing in October 2021, just prior to the rollout of new hi-tech offence detection cameras.
SPER also had about $51 million in unpaid seatbelt-related fines sitting on its books as of December 2024.
This was another steady increase from the $8.65 million the debt collector was chasing in October 2021 ahead of the deployment of the detection cameras.
The value of unpaid speeding fines has also increased in recent years.
In December 2021, SPER was pursuing $243.4 million in outstanding speeding fines, but by December last year, this had hit more than $300 million.
This is despite the actual number of unpaid fines falling from 833,923 to 748,924 over the same period.
In a statement, a SPER spokesperson said more people paid their fines.
"Speeding, failing to wear seatbelts and distracted driving are all contributors to lives lost on our roads and are all avoidable," they said.
"Camera detected fines are an important enforcement tool for making our roads safe."