Demerit Points & Fines by State (2026-27)

Demerit points work as a single national tally even though the rules behind them are not. Australia's states and territories recognise each other's driving offences, so a breach picked up while you are travelling interstate is reported back and recorded against the licence issued in your home state or territory. There is no separate interstate licence to protect, and no state border that keeps points from following you home.

What each jurisdiction sets on its own is the detail: how many points an offence carries, the size of the fine, the speed or conduct bands that define each offence, and the threshold at which a licence is suspended. That is why the same mistake can look quite different depending on where it happens. This section sets out each state and territory's current schedule, drawn from the official government source and marked with the date of the version it was taken from, so you can see how your own jurisdiction treats a given offence rather than relying on a national rule of thumb that does not exist.

Demerit systems at a glance
StateFull-licence limitDouble demerits
New South Wales13 points within 3 years on a full (unrestricted) licence — 14 for professional drivers.Holiday periods — points double for speeding, phone, seatbelt and helmet offences (fines unchanged)
Victoria12 points in any 3-year period (full licence).None — Victoria has no double-demerit scheme
Queensland12 points in 3 years on an open licence (suspension 3–5 months by tally).Year-round repeat-offence doubling — a second offence in the same group (phone, seatbelt, helmet, speeding 21+ km/h) within 12 months doubles the points
Western Australia12 points within 3 years (full licence).Holiday periods — points double for speeding, drink/drug driving, seatbelt and child-restraint, red light, phone and camera-evasion offences
South Australia12 or more points within 3 years (full licence).None — SA does not use double demerit points
Tasmania12–15 points within 3 years = 3-month suspension (longer at higher tallies).None — Tasmania has no double-demerit scheme
Australian Capital Territory12 points within 3 years (full licence; suspension 3–5 months by tally).Holiday periods — points double for speeding, seatbelt, helmet and phone offences; every other point offence gets +1 point (fines unchanged)
Northern Territory12 or more points within 3 years on an open licence (suspension 3–5 months by tally).None — the NT has no double-demerit scheme

The same offence, compared across all 8 states

Highest and lowest on-the-spot fine for the same conduct
OffenceHighestLowestSpread
Speeding
Each state's lowest speeding band
ACT $394WA $100$294
Mobile phone
Holding or using a handheld phone while driving (full licence)
QLD $1,295TAS $426$869
Seatbelt
Driver not wearing a seatbelt
QLD $1,295VIC $418$877
Red light
Running a red light
QLD $690TAS $213$477
Drink-driving
Each state's lowest drink-driving range, first offence, full licence
WA $1,000NT $400$600
Drug-driving
Drug presence, first offence
WA $1,250NT $400$850
Unregistered and uninsured vehicles
Driving an unregistered vehicle (shortest lapse where the fine depends on it)
VIC $1,046TAS $266.25$779.75