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Diplomats and consulate workers are ignoring the traffic and parking fees they incur – most commonly exceeding the speed limit by less than 15km/h in a non-school zone – getting away with more than what the government already allows.
Canberra diplomats, consulates, and their staff and family members are accumulating ever-growing outstanding fees from traffic and parking infringements – adding up to a total of $77,312 over the last 30 years as of July 2025.
The ACT Government's Open Data Portal dataACT reveals the real number of outstanding diplomatic traffic and parking infringements, contrary to media reports from last month that state an exaggerated $1.3-million figure.
The data initially contained some errors with duplicate entries and mistakes; however, it was updated to remove many of those inaccuracies after Drive contacted the ACT Government.
Drive's calculation of a $77,312 total was confirmed by an ACT Government spokesperson, and is split between 14 named countries, and various "unknown" (defined as related to diplomatic persons or missions) and "de-identified" (embassies with three or less diplomatic staff) offenders.
The total also doesn't include any late fees, or other notices that result in not paying, nor does it count for inflation of any long overdue payments – amassing a larger amount than what may first meet the eye.
The most common infringement of the 114 unpaid fines to date – nearly half (54) – was speeding less than 15km/h over the limit in a non-school zone.
Other common offences were driving while using a mobile device (13), stopping in illegal spots such as disability spaces, loading or permit zones (17), and speeding in a school zone by less than 15km/h over the limit (8).
Although the "diplomatic immunity" card does extend to some traffic offences, it does not protect foreign officials from all traffic infringements, with one Spanish embassy ticket outstanding since 1996 for being parked next to an expired meter.
An ACT Government spokesperson told Drive that "Access Canberra [who produces the infringement data] takes all traffic and parking offences seriously and works with relevant embassies, high commissions and consulates via the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to follow up outstanding infringements."
In 2019, 9News obtained documents exclusively under the Freedom of Information Act, totaling $52,514 being owed since 2017.
The ACT Government spokesperson told Drive that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) regularly reminds diplomats that they have an obligation to obey Australian road rules and expects them to pay fines promptly.
Failure to stop at a stop sign can result in a $552 ticket and speeding fines can sometimes rack up a bill of over $2000.
Similarly to other states and territories, there is normally a late fine in the ACT of $34, and a further $97 fee if a summons notice is issued.
The ACT Government spokesperson also noted that "the issuing and payment of infringements supports responsible and safe road use and meets community expectations," but there is clearly a long-standing struggle to get this actioned.
DFAT's list of privileges and immunities includes many things, but doesn’t include the waiving of traffic and parking fines.
As far as driving is concerned, DFAT’s "immunities of foreign representatives" document does state that while police may stop diplomatic vehicles and ask drivers to take a breath test, they are not obliged to comply and “cannot be arrested for refusing or failing the test”.
This protection opens up the possibility of endangering the public.
Some embassies have been contacted, but none responded to comment for this story.
Ilana is a Melbourne-based journalist who was previously a copywriter in the Big Apple. Having moved to Melbourne for her Master of Journalism, she has written articles about food, farm machinery, fashion, and now the fast and furious. Her dream car has been a Mini Cooper since the fifth grade, eyeing its style and petite size.
