The warnings of where speed cameras will be the following day is an excellent one.
Too many times the poor Brumby turfed-out Government used speed cameras to raise revenue and not to prevent speeding.
FINES for speeding motorists and other law breakers will reap a record $2.8 billion for government coffers over the next four years. More than ever, the State Government will depend on fines to stay in the black.
A 12.5 per cent hike in fines was foreshadowed before Budget day, and this move will deliver an additional $70 million to the bottom line during 2012-13.
But the value of the hike will then soar, bringing in an extra $118 million the following year.
Taking into account the 2.5 per cent rise from July 1 that had been approved in March, fines will deliver an extra $109 million to the bottom line.
Without that, the Baillieu Government would have been left with a razor-thin $46 million surplus.
Budget papers said the increase was largely due to the 12.5 per cent hike on top of the regular increase that’s linked to the consumer price index, which was 2.5 per cent.
Toll road evasion fines were expected to rise by 14.4 per cent, and non-traffic and court fines were expected to go up by 16.7 per cent.
But speed camera fine revenue will soar by 19.1 per cent, and police on-the-spot fines even more, by 26.9 per cent.
The Budget papers concede that “road safety initiatives” will be another reason for the increased reliance on fines.
Treasurer Kim Wells said people weren’t forced to pay fines.
“With the fines, it’s a voluntary system,” Mr Wells said.
“We have put it in as a revenue measure (and) at the end of the day, if people don’t speed or drop litter, or graffiti, they don’t pay.”
The Budget papers say the fine increase was “to strengthen the deterrence of offending behaviour”.
But the move will leave the government $419 million better off over the next four years.