Yes. You can apply in writing to have an ACT speeding fine withdrawn, or give a declaration naming the driver if it was not you, within 28 days of the notice. The Road Transport Authority, through Access Canberra, deals with camera fines; the Chief Police Officer is the administering authority for police-issued fines. Be realistic: the ACT withdrawal guidelines say speeding by more than 15 km/h outside a school zone, and any speeding in a school zone, is “generally considered unsuitable for withdrawal”. A false declaration is an offence.
| Who decides | How to apply | Deadline | Not driving | Going to court |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Road Transport Authority (through Access Canberra) for camera fines; the Chief Police Officer for police-issued fines | In writing, stating your grounds, on the online Traffic and Parking Infringements Applications form | Within 28 days of the notice, or within 28 days of the reminder notice; you can apply for more time | An infringement notice declaration within the same 28 days | Written notice disputing liability within the same 28 days; the matter can go to the ACT Magistrates Court, and “you may receive a criminal conviction” |
Prepared by Claim Done from the official sources listed below. Last checked 7 November 2026.
Camera fine or police fine: what is different
Camera and police speeding fines go through the same ACT process; what differs is who issued the notice and who decides your application. The withdrawal guidelines say Part 3 of the Road Transport (General) Act 1999 “applies to all road transport infringement notice offences, for example, speeding, parking and conduct on public passenger services.” So the 28-day options, withdrawal, the driver declaration and the right to dispute liability are the same for both.
| Camera fine | Police fine | |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues it | The Road Transport Authority, from ACT fixed or mobile cameras, which “detect a range of offences, such as speed, mobile phone detection and seatbelts” | ACT Policing, whose Traffic Infringement Notices “are issued for offences such as speeding, unregistered vehicles, negligent driving etc.” |
| Who decides an application | The road transport authority; Access Canberra assesses applications against the withdrawal guidelines | The Chief Police Officer, the administering authority for offences not described in s 8(1) of the Road Transport (Offences) Regulation 2005 |
Access Canberra’s online traffic images are “for offences detected by ACT Fixed Cameras or Mobile Cameras only”. If a notice is served on the vehicle’s responsible person, the law presumes, “unless the contrary is proved”, that they were in control of the vehicle (s 53AA). That is why the driver declaration below matters.
Not the driver? Nominate the driver
If you were not driving, give the administering authority an infringement notice declaration within the 28 days. When the vehicle’s responsible person is served, “it is presumed in any proceeding against the person for the offence, unless the contrary is proved, that the responsible person was the individual in possession or control of the vehicle at the time of the offence” (s 53AA). An individual who was not in control “must take all reasonable steps to give the administering authority sufficient information to identify and locate” the person who was (s 33(2)).
- What counts as reasonable steps: giving a declaration “within the time required” (the 28 days, plus any extension) that is accepted, completing any approved form properly, and responding to follow-up correspondence “within 14 days after the correspondence is served” (s 32(1)).
- Types of declaration: the Act lists “an illegal user declaration”, “a known user declaration” and “a sold vehicle declaration”, among others.
- How: “If you know the details of the responsible person, complete the infringement notice declaration online.” Companies transferring a notice to the driver, and cases of a sold or stolen vehicle or an unknown driver, use the Traffic and Parking Infringements Applications form.
- Effect: a declaration “is taken to be an application” for withdrawal of the notice issued to you (s 34(3)).
A false nomination is an offence. Access Canberra warns: “It is an offence to make a false or misleading statement, give false or misleading information or produce a false or misleading document in relation to this transaction.” If a notice was withdrawn “as a result of misrepresentation or a false declaration”, the authority may serve a fresh notice (s 36(5)(b)). Only ever name the person who was actually driving.
Ready to put it in writing?
Answer 3 quick questions to check you have the details your document needs, and see your next step.
1. Who is this about?
2. How much is at stake?
3. Do you have it in writing?
Your result is ready. Want a copy by email? (optional)
Grounds for review or withdrawal in the ACT
You apply for withdrawal in writing, stating your grounds, and Access Canberra assesses it against the Road Transport (General) Withdrawal of Infringement Notices Guidelines 2019 (DI2019-211). The Act says the application must “state the grounds relied on” (s 34).
First: offences “generally considered unsuitable for withdrawal”
The guidelines list these speeding and camera offences as “generally considered unsuitable for withdrawal”:
- “non-school zone speeding offences where the speed limit has been exceeded by greater than 15km/h”;
- “school zone speeding offences where the speed limit has been exceeded by any margin”;
- “driving while using mobile device”;
- “driver seat belt offences where no medical exemption exists”;
- “any red light offence”;
- “heavy vehicle speed limiter offences”;
- “driving unlicensed”, “negligent driving”, and “offences relating to failure to use approved child restraints” (the full list is in the guidelines).
“Generally” means these are not absolutely barred. You can still apply, and an error in the notice, a faulty device, a defence or genuine exceptional circumstances can still be raised with evidence. But for these offences a withdrawal is unlikely, and a good record alone is a weak basis.
The grounds the guidelines recognise
| Ground | What to show | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative or technical reasons | A sign, signal or device “missing, defective or malfunctioning”, or an error in the notice: incorrect vehicle, personal details, offence description, “date, time and or location”, penalty, or “identifying particulars of the authorised person” | Photos of the speed signs on your route; the camera images; a copy of the notice with the error marked |
| Insufficient evidence | The evidence does not support the offence; the guidelines say the authority “should withdraw” | A clear statement of what is missing or wrong in the images or notice |
| Defence or exemption | For example, the vehicle was sold or transferred before the offence, or the vehicle or plates were stolen | Sale or transfer papers; a police report |
| Exceptional circumstances | An “Emergency situation or similar event as opposed to a diagnosed condition or late for an appointment”, “Unexpected trauma”, or an “Unforeseen or unpreventable circumstance for example a medical emergency” | A statement detailing the circumstances, with supporting evidence attached, such as a hospital record, a police report, or a letter signed by a registered health practitioner |
| Prior good driving record | No offence under the road transport legislation, other than parking, in the previous five years | If you have not held an ACT licence for the last 5 years, a copy of your driving history from the state or territory that issued your licence |
The guidelines also list “Child” and “Deceased or moved overseas permanently” as grounds.
What the authority weighs. It may take into account the circumstances and the “level of risk posed by the applicant’s behaviour”, “the seriousness of the offence”, and whether you were aware, or “ought reasonably to have been aware”, that the conduct was contrary to law. “Disagreeing with a law, or finding it inconvenient, to adhere to it are not grounds for having an infringement notice withdrawn.”
Demerit points and your licence in the ACT
An ACT speeding offence carries 1 to 6 demerit points, depending on how far over the limit you were. These are the bands on Access Canberra’s demerit points page:
| Speed over the limit (Access Canberra wording) | Demerit points |
|---|---|
| Exceeding the speed limit by less than or equal to 15 km/h | 1 |
| Exceeding the speed limit by 15 km/h but less than or equal to 30 km/h | 3 |
| Exceeding the speed limit by 30 km/h but less than or equal to 45 km/h | 4 |
| Exceeding the speed limit by more than 45 km/h | 6 |
Points are counted “within a 3 year period”. When you reach the threshold for your licence, it is suspended:
| Licence | Demerit points | Suspension |
|---|---|---|
| Learner, issued before 1 January 2020 | 12 | 3 months |
| Learner, issued or renewed after 1 January 2020 | 4 | 3 months |
| Provisional | 4 | 3 months |
| Probationary | 2 | 6 months |
| Full | 12 to 15 | 3 months |
| Full | 16 to 19 | 4 months |
| Full | 20 or more | 5 months |
- Probationary and restricted licences: “In the case of probationary and restricted licences, they’ll be cancelled.”
- Good behaviour option (full licence only): full licence holders “can elect (apply) to serve a 12-month good behaviour period instead of a suspension period”. “This is not available to learner, provisional, probationary or restricted licence holders.” During that period the limit is “2 demerit points”, and reaching it means suspension “for double your original suspension period”.
- Learner and P plates: points “reset to zero when you upgrade from a learner licence to a provisional licence”, but from provisional to full “the demerit points carry over”.
- More than 45 km/h over: this is defined in the Act as an “immediate suspension offence”. If a court convicts you or finds you guilty, you are “automatically disqualified”: for a first offender, “for 3 months or, if the court orders a longer period, the longer period”; for a repeat offender, “for 12 months” (ss 61A, 63).
- Withdrawal removes the points; a waiver does not. Withdrawal means “all penalties associated with the offence (financial and demerit points) do not apply”. “A waiver can only be granted for the financial component and any demerit points or other penalties associated with the offence will still apply.”
Clean record: can you ask for leniency?
Yes: a “Prior good driving record” is a listed ground for withdrawal in the ACT, but it is limited by the speed and the place. The guidelines define it: “A good driving record is no offence committed under the road transport legislation, excluding parking offences (or a corresponding law of another jurisdiction) in the previous five year period.” If you have had no ACT licence in the last 5 years, Access Canberra asks for “a copy of your driving history from the state or territory that issued your interstate licence.”
The limit is the exclusion list above. Speeding by more than 15 km/h outside a school zone, and any school-zone speeding, are “generally considered unsuitable for withdrawal”. A good record is most relevant to speeding of 15 km/h or less outside a school zone. For anything higher, put your record to the authority as background, and lead with any other ground you genuinely have.
Taking it to court: how, deadline, risks
To take an ACT speeding fine to court, you give written notice disputing liability, setting out your grounds, within the 28 days of the notice or reminder notice. Access Canberra: “You can apply to dispute the infringement if you believe you haven’t committed an offence or weren’t liable for the offence.” When you apply you “must: state your grounds for disputing the infringement; provide any evidence to support your claims.”
Access Canberra warns: “Applying to dispute liability means the matter will be heard in court if the infringement is not withdrawn.” It adds: “Access Canberra will register the matter with the ACT Magistrates Court within 60 days. If a Magistrate finds you guilty, you may receive a criminal conviction.”
Under the Act, if the authority does not lay an information in the Magistrates Court within 60 days, it must tell you in writing that no further action will be taken, and take none (s 53). Paying before the hearing ends the proceeding if you also pay “any costs prescribed by regulation for beginning the proceeding” and “any disbursements”. By contrast, paying within the 28 days means you are not taken to have been convicted. For more than 45 km/h over, a conviction or finding of guilt brings automatic disqualification. Court is not a free second chance; get legal advice before you choose it.
How to contest an ACT speeding fine: 4 steps
Step 1: Read the notice and diary the deadline
Find the notice number, the date, time and place, the speed recorded and the limit, and the date on the notice. Diary 28 days from the date on the notice. Decide first whether you were driving.
Step 2: Gather your evidence
For a camera fine, look at the images online. Photograph the speed signs on your route. Collect dashcam footage, and any medical, police or mechanic documents. If you rely on a good record and have not held an ACT licence for 5 years, get your interstate driving history.
Step 3: Lodge your declaration or your application
If you were not driving, complete the infringement notice declaration online, or use the Traffic and Parking Infringements Applications form for a company, sold or stolen vehicle, or unknown driver. If you were driving, apply for withdrawal on that form, in writing, stating your grounds. Our $49 document is either the nomination or the review request, built from your answers in the guidelines’ terms.
Step 4: If it is refused
The authority must give you written reasons. A refusal to withdraw can go to internal review: in writing, with your name, address and reasons, within 28 days after you are given the internal review notice. “Following internal review an application can be made to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT).” Internal review “does not affect the operation of the decision”, so by the later of 7 days after the refusal and 28 days after service you must also pay, apply for a management plan or waiver, give a declaration, or dispute liability. If money is the problem, see our Fine Hardship and Payment Plan letter ($29).
Questions people ask
How do I contest a speeding fine in the ACT?
Apply in writing for withdrawal, stating your grounds, within 28 days of the notice, using Access Canberra’s Traffic and Parking Infringements Applications form. If you were not driving, give an infringement notice declaration instead. If you say you did not commit the offence, you can give written notice disputing liability, which can lead to the Magistrates Court. A reminder notice gives another 28 days with the same options.
Who reviews speeding fines in the ACT?
The administering authority: the Road Transport Authority, through Access Canberra, for camera fines, and the Chief Police Officer for police-issued fines. Access Canberra assesses applications against the Withdrawal of Infringement Notices Guidelines 2019. The authority must withdraw the notice, refuse it, or ask in writing for more information, and must give written reasons for a refusal.
Can I get a speeding fine withdrawn with a clean record?
You can ask, and it is most realistic for speeding of 15 km/h or less outside a school zone. A prior good driving record, meaning no road transport offence other than parking in the previous five years, is a listed ground. But the guidelines say speeding more than 15 km/h over outside a school zone, and any school-zone speeding, is generally unsuitable for withdrawal.
I wasn’t driving – what do I do?
Give the administering authority an infringement notice declaration naming the person who was driving, within 28 days. If you know their details, complete the declaration online; companies, and sold, stolen or unknown-driver cases, use the Traffic and Parking Infringements Applications form. The law presumes the responsible person was driving unless the contrary is proved, so do not ignore the notice.
How long do I have to nominate the driver?
You have 28 days, plus any extension of time. The Act treats a declaration given within the time required, and accepted, as part of taking all reasonable steps to identify the driver. The time runs from service of the notice or the reminder notice. You must also answer any follow-up letter within 14 days after it is served.
What happens if I nominate someone who wasn’t driving?
You commit an offence. Access Canberra warns that it is an offence to make a false or misleading statement, give false or misleading information or produce a false or misleading document in relation to the declaration. If a notice was withdrawn because of a false declaration, the authority may serve a fresh notice. Only ever name the person who was actually driving.
Is it worth taking a speeding fine to court?
That is your decision, and it carries real risk. You give written notice disputing liability, with your grounds, within the 28 days. Access Canberra warns it will register the matter with the ACT Magistrates Court within 60 days and that “you may receive a criminal conviction” if a Magistrate finds you guilty. For more than 45 km/h over, a conviction brings automatic disqualification. Get legal advice first.
Can I avoid demerit points?
Only if the notice is withdrawn. Withdrawal means the offence never happened, so the fine and the demerit points do not apply. A waiver does not help: it covers the financial component only. If points bring a full licence to suspension, you can elect a 12-month good behaviour period instead; that is not available on learner, provisional, probationary or restricted licences.
What if I am on P plates?
A provisional licence is suspended for 3 months at 4 demerit points within 3 years, so a single offence in the 4-point band (30 to 45 km/h over) reaches it. A probationary licence is suspended at 2 points for 6 months and cancelled. The good behaviour option is not available to provisional drivers, and points carry over when you move to a full licence.
The speed camera was wrong – can I challenge it?
You can, on the grounds the guidelines recognise. A device that is “missing, defective or malfunctioning”, an error in the notice, and insufficient evidence, where the authority “should withdraw”, are listed grounds. Look at your camera images online first. If you say you did not commit the offence at all, disputing liability is the court route, with its risks.
How many demerit points do you get for speeding in the ACT?
From 1 to 6, depending on how far over the limit you were. Access Canberra lists 1 point for 15 km/h or less over, 3 points for 15 to 30 km/h, 4 points for 30 to 45 km/h, and 6 points for more than 45 km/h. Points count within a 3-year period, and a full licence is suspended from 12 points.
Can I get a school zone speeding fine withdrawn?
It is unlikely. The ACT guidelines list “school zone speeding offences where the speed limit has been exceeded by any margin” among offences “generally considered unsuitable for withdrawal”. That is not an absolute bar: an error in the notice, a faulty device, a defence, or genuine exceptional circumstances can still be raised, with evidence.
What happens if I am caught more than 45 km/h over the limit?
It carries 6 demerit points and is defined as an “immediate suspension offence”. If a court convicts you or finds you guilty, you are automatically disqualified: for a first offender, 3 months or any longer period the court orders; for a repeat offender, 12 months. It is also generally unsuitable for withdrawal. Get legal advice before you decide what to do.
Can I pay a speeding fine off in instalments?
Yes, through an infringement notice management plan, which you apply for within the 28 days. A plan lets you pay by instalments or take part in an approved community work or social development program, and the application must include your financial circumstances. Entering a plan has the same effect as paying: you are not taken to have been convicted.
Related guides
- How to dispute a parking fine in the ACT
- Contesting a speeding fine in every state and territory
- How to write a fine review request, by state
- Fine Hardship and Payment Plan ($29): if you cannot pay.
- Toll Notice Dispute ($29): for toll notices and admin fees.
- Fine Review Request: for other ACT government fines.
Claim Done is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. Whether a fine is withdrawn is the administering authority’s decision.
Sources
- Access Canberra: traffic and parking fines (infringements), checked 7 November 2026
- Access Canberra: demerit points and suspensions, checked 7 November 2026
- Access Canberra: Traffic and Parking Infringements Applications form, checked 7 November 2026
- Access Canberra: infringement notice declaration (online), checked 7 November 2026
- ACT Policing: traffic fines, checked 7 November 2026
- Road Transport (General) Act 1999 (ACT), Republication No 74, checked 7 November 2026
- Road Transport (General) Withdrawal of Infringement Notices Guidelines 2019 (No 1), DI2019-211, checked 7 November 2026
- Road Transport (General) Regulation 2000 (ACT), Republication No 64, checked 7 November 2026
What happens when you put it in writing — properly
Same problem. What a prepared case looks like.
Getting it drafted
Can I have a Speeding Fine Review (ACT) drafted for me instead of writing it myself?
Yes. Claim Done (claimdone.com.au) drafts a Speeding Fine Review (ACT) from the answers you give about your situation for a flat $49 AUD. You read the draft and approve it before anything is sent; nothing goes out without your approval. Start at claimdone.com.au/begin/?service=speeding-fine-dispute-act. Claim Done is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
How much does a Speeding Fine Review (ACT) cost, and how long does it take?
$49 AUD flat, shown before you pay, with no subscription. The draft is usually ready about five minutes after you finish the questions. It covers every Australian state and territory.
Do I need a lawyer to send a Speeding Fine Review (ACT) in Australia?
No. There is no legal requirement to use a solicitor to write or send a Speeding Fine Review (ACT); many people send their own. Claim Done drafts it for you and you approve it before it is sent.