Speed camera spying is sinister

Apart from the "nana state" implications, there’s a sinister side to the proposal. If NSW does go with it, the other states will surely follow and that then means big business, big money.

While using your mobile phone behind the wheel is extremely dumb and dangerous, so is the precedent of using speed cameras in the way proposed.

It means these well-loved revenue-raising appliances could be harnessed to catch people for doing pretty much everything state road bureaucracies don’t like - and more.

Not wearing a seat belt, eating behind the wheel, drinking (coke or similar) behind the wheel, not wearing your spectacles, smoking, rude gesticulating, nose picking, and arguing could be targeted.

Anything denoted as a driving distraction could be made into a fineable offence. And that equals rivers of gold for a whole bunch of rapacious groups including the private company that owns the cameras.

They would have to rename these cameras "Everything Cameras’’ which would be the ideal enforcement tool for everything. We could then get rid of the police force because everything would be monitored by Everything Cameras.

They could then use face recognition technology to identify you, look up your credit card number and debit the amount required – immediately after the crime was committed.

Don’t laugh people. Obviously the person or group that postulated this preposterous proposal hasn't heard of privacy laws. Wait until they nail some heavy hitter engaging in some nefarious activity who doesn't want their picture taken and goes them in court. That will sort ‘em out.