How to dispute a mobile phone fine in Australia

Dispute or ask for leniency?

There are two broad paths. Disputing means arguing the fine shouldn’t stand — for example the vehicle or driver was misidentified, there’s an error on the notice, or there are concerns about the evidence. Asking for leniency means accepting what happened but explaining why a caution or reduction is fair, such as a long clean record or genuine special circumstances.

You don’t have to decide upfront. Once you’ve entered your details, Fight My Fine gives you a free case-strength read and recommends the stronger path — and tells you honestly when even a perfect letter is unlikely to succeed, before you pay anything.

Common grounds people raise

Whether any of these apply is specific to your situation:

• The vehicle or driver was misidentified, or you weren’t the driver at the time.
• There appears to be an error on the notice — wrong date, location, registration or amount.
• Concerns about how the offence was detected or the evidence behind the notice.
• A genuine, brief emergency or unavoidable situation.
• A long clean record and the circumstances of a single, minor lapse — raised when asking for leniency.

Gather your evidence — and what you can ask for

Mobile phone fines (increasingly from AI cameras) can be misread, so evidence of what you were really doing matters:

• Show it was hands-free. A photo of your phone in a cradle/mount, or connected via Bluetooth or CarPlay/Android Auto, supports that any use was lawful.
• Phone records. Records showing no call or text at that moment can back up “I wasn’t using it.”
• Dashcam. Footage showing your hands on the wheel, or the phone untouched.
• AI cameras misread. They can mistake a wallet, sunglasses, a drink, or a resting hand for a phone — describe plainly what you were actually doing.
• Genuine emergency? A 000 call is treated differently in most states — keep any record of it.
• Ask for the image. You can ask the authority to produce the photo the fine is based on; and if it wasn’t you driving, you can usually nominate the actual driver.

Your own evidence stays with you — you describe it in your letter (Fight My Fine helps you word it clearly), then attach it when you send the letter to the authority. Worth using: our free check walks you through the camera’s own evidence photo, area by area — you confirm what you see, only your answers go into the letter, and the photo never leaves your device. Specific evidence is what turns “my word against theirs” into a case worth reviewing.

What to put in your review letter

A strong review request identifies the notice, states your grounds plainly, references any evidence, and makes a clear request — withdrawal, a caution, or a reduction. Keep it factual and concise. That’s exactly what Fight My Fine assembles for you: answer a few plain-English questions and we draft an editable letter tailored to your state and the mobile phone fine, addressed to the right authority.

Tip: if the camera mistook another object for a phone

A mobile-phone camera fine rests on a single image, and everyday objects — a wallet, sunglasses case, drink, or even your hand — are routinely misread as a held phone. If it wasn’t a phone, you can demonstrate this: hold the same object in the same position and take a photo in the car. Clearly labelled as a re-creation — not the original moment — it shows the reviewing officer how the camera could have mistaken an ordinary object for a phone.