The South Australian government has announced plans to introduce legislation to parliament that would ban councils from issuing ticketless parking fines. Under the proposed reforms, the practice of mailing penalties to motorists after automated camera cars record an alleged infraction would be prohibited, making it mandatory for council inspectors to physically leave a ticket on a vehicle or hand it directly to the driver.
Impact on Council Tech and Public Response
The changes specifically target systems like the Adelaide City Council's Park Safe program, which deploys roof-mounted cameras on vehicles to scan stationary cars. While the state government stated that artificial intelligence and camera technology could still be utilized, a human inspector must issue the fine on-site at the time of the alleged offence. The policy was modeled on similar regulations previously enacted in New South Wales.
The announcement drew mixed reactions. Tour bus operator Dallas Coull and local shoppers welcomed the proposed shift away from automated enforcement, pointing to frustrations with receiving multiple mailed penalties. However, Local Government Association of SA (LGA) president Heather Holmes-Ross expressed concern that the association was not consulted prior to the announcement. The LGA defended ticketless systems as a more efficient method for processing parking infractions and questioned why automated parking enforcement is being singled out when similar software is used for road safety cameras.
