New traffic camera rollout expected to rake in millions
FNQ roads
The State Government is estimating an extra $225m will go into its coffers across the next two financial years primarily from new traffic cameras being rolled out across Queensland.
The new cameras are designed to catch people committing traffic offences such as speeding, running red lights, using mobile phones while driving, and not wearing seatbelts.
In 2025/26 the Government made $823m from fines, and selling seized assets such as cars, but estimates it will be making more than $1 billion per year by the 2027/28 financial year.
“Fines and forfeitures are expected to grow by an average of 12.9 per cent in 2026/27 and 2027/28 primarily driven by planned expansions of the camera program, before stabilising from 2028/29,” according to the recent State Budget papers.
“The major fines included in the fines and forfeitures category include speeding, red light, mobile phone and seatbelt camera detected offences and tolling offences.”
The Government has already made an extra $88m from traffic infringements in the past financial year compared to 2024/25 - an increase of close to 12 per cent.
One portable camera trailer is currently used on and off along Port Douglas Road in Port Douglas, while there are approved active speed camera sites used by portable, marked, and covert mobile speed cameras in a range of Douglas Shire areas including on Port Douglas Road, Alchera Drive at Mossman, and along the Mossman-Mt Molloy Road at Julatten, according to Transport and Main Roads Department (TMR) data.
Douglas Shire currently has no fixed speed cameras or red-light cameras, but there are ones on the Kuranda Highway at Kuranda and on the corner of Sheridan Street and James Street in Cairns North.
“Speeding and disobeying red lights are major causes of road crashes,” according to TMR.
“The only reason we use speed cameras is to reduce the risk and severity of road crashes by deterring motorists from choosing this dangerous driving behaviour.”
Last year’s TMR annual report flagged the “ongoing expansion of the road safety camera program” in order to help “reduce road fatalities by 50 per cent and serious road injuries by 30 per cent by 2031”.
The Queensland Camera Detected Offence Program includes a range of camera types including mobile speed cameras, fixed speed cameras, red light cameras and transportable road safety cameras.
