Australians paid $1.1 billion in speeding fines last financial year

Australian motorists poured more than $1.1 billion into various government coffers in speeding fines alone during the last financial year.

The incredible figure makes the 2016/17 financial year one of the lucrative 12 months in terms of revenue generated through the policing of speed in Australia.

Victorians were the biggest contributors, paying out $363.1 million according to the Department of Justice and Regulation Annual Report.

That’s a 2 percent increase over the previous financial year, when the state received $356.4 million in revenue.

New South Wales drivers contributed $193.9 million in speed and red light cameras fines alone, with police-issued infringements generating a further $80.8 million in revenue.

In total, the most populous state in the country brought in $274.7 million worth of fines from its motorists. That’s an increase of nearly $100 million over the last financial year.

Queenslanders also paid heavily, with the state’s drivers spending $226 million on fines.

South Australia’s speed camera strategy focuses largely on mobile units, with the state generating $174 million in revenue.

Western Australian revenue dipped in comparison to the previous financial year, with drivers contributing $97 million. In the 12 months prior, just under $110 million was raised.

As the state with the smallest population, Tasmania was at the bottom of the revenue ranks, with $1 million being added to coffers.

Victorian drivers generate almost the same amount of speeding fines in a single day as Tasmanians do in an entire year.

South Australian drivers remain the worst hit on a per-capita basis, with $101 worth of revenue raised for each resident of the state. Victorians raise $59 per person.