The NSW opposition has slammed the government for slugging drivers with record fines, fees and tolls.
Figures showed vehicle registration revenue had gone up 42.5 per cent in real terms during the decade the government has been in power.
Drivers licence fees were up 12 per cent and stamp duty revenue on vehicles was up 7.2 per cent, Labor said.
Road tolls and speed camera fines have also increased.
Last December saw a record $13 million in mobile speed camera revenue, more than twice the money collected during the 2019-2020 financial year.
“No state government in Australia has ever charged drivers more,” Labor’s roads spokesmanxjmtzyw, John Graham, claimed.
Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward said the government was committed to easing the cost of living for residents and defended the use of tolls to pay for road projects.
“That’s why we’ve undertaken a toll review by subject matter experts,” she told a budget estimates hearing on Tuesday.
“Our tolling approach ensures that we can build large motorways and deliver those years ahead of time, with the private sector absorbing that upfront initial cost, lowering the overall burden on taxpayers.”
She said there were other issues she could not control.
“There’s a combination of factors for which I am responsible … I don’t deny that I have a role to play,” she said.
“What I can’t control is inflation. What I can’t control is petrol prices.”
Ms Ward told the hearing the government would consider seeking a way to change the way administration fees are levied by the toll operator.
Currently drivers who don't have the means to automatically pay for tolls can be slugged up to $10 in administration fees on top of the toll cost.
“We’re always looking at ways we can reduce the administrative burden and certainly it seems to me on the face of it that that is an opportunity for us to do something,” Ms Ward said.
“But obviously, I need to take advice on that.”
The NSW opposition has sought to make tolls and the cost of living key issues ahead of next year’s state election.
Petrol prices across the country have shot up to record highs in recent months, and could increase even further.
