Brisbane Drivers Cover Licence Plates to Evade New Automated Parking Cameras

Brisbane motorists in inner-city parking hotspots are resorting to everyday items like dishcloths, camping chairs, and plastic sheets to cover their licence plates and avoid detection by the council's new automated camera systems. The tactics have emerged as Brisbane City Council intensifies its traffic enforcement, issuing nearly $35 million in parking fines so far this year across mobile enforcement vehicles, foot patrols, and fixed camera setups.

A Brisbane City Council spokesperson acknowledged that authorities are aware of drivers obscuring their number plates from time to time. To address the issue, council officers can conduct foot patrols to assess situations on a case-by-case basis. However, local council officers lack the legal authority to issue infringement notices specifically for hidden or altered number plates, as plate visibility falls under Queensland state laws.

Police Enforcement and Plate Visibility Laws

According to a Queensland Police Service spokesperson, state regulations mandate that vehicle number plates must remain clearly visible from 20 metres away at an angle of 45 degrees in all directions. Police noted that plates obscured by bull bars, towbars, driving lights, or any covering material—as well as faded, unreadable, or tucked-away plates—are illegal. Police regularly inspect number plates and issue fines to non-compliant drivers.

Impact of the Automated Camera Rollout

The automated static cameras run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, targeting illegal parking along major corridors, including clearways, no stopping zones, bus zones, loading zones, and yellow lines. Following an initial trial in four high-complaint areas in early 2025, the council expanded the technology to more than 40 locations in November. These continuous monitoring devices have generated over 8,100 parking notices this year.

Enforcement data reveals heavy activity in specific areas. Just two camera sites—Graham Street in South Brisbane and Park Road in Milton—were responsible for more than 3,000 infringement notices. Overall, Brisbane City Council has issued 176,494 parking fines during this calendar year, totaling $34,941,602. Mobile enforcement vehicles accounted for the largest share, delivering nearly 100,000 infringements since January 1.

Civic Cabinet Chair for Customer Services, Councillor Sarah Hutton, stated that the council aims to deter illegal parking, emphasizing that unauthorized stopping in key transit zones causes widespread delays and compromises traffic flow and safety for thousands of commuters.