A Canberra driver has been penalised for "using a mobile device" after allegedly being captured simply changing gears in his manual car, calling into question the effectiveness of the ACT's traffic camera system.
The driver's father, a retired public servant and tech expert, has been fighting Access Canberra for more than six months with "technical inputs", but his efforts have hit a brick wall.
On January 9, 2026, Mick received mail at his Belconnen home from Access Canberra regarding a traffic infringement attached to his 2021 Kia Cerato six-speed manual car.
"I was genuinely surprised, as I never use or touch my mobile phone while driving. Then I saw the time of the offence and realised it was one of my kids," the 58-year-old told The Canberra Times, referring to the alleged violation captured by a fixed traffic camera on Gungahlin Drive in Mitchell on the night of January 5, 2026.
Mick, who asked to be identified only by his first name, downloaded the traffic camera images from the Access Canberra website and realised a mistake had been made.
Having worked extensively in the Australian government on artificial intelligence and computer vision models in enforcement environments, Mick quickly determined that the camera images showed what he described as an "accidental adversarial effect."
"Most people would know it as an optical illusion," he said.
In January, Mick rang Access Canberra's infringement review office to request that the notice be reviewed or withdrawn, but he said the response was callous.
"To my absolute astonishment, the reviewer told me the driver was definitely holding something. When asked what he was holding, they couldn't tell me," Mick said of his first call with an infringement review officer.
As a decorated public servant with camera systems experience, Mick believes the ACT's traffic infringement system has serious technical flaws. He also argues the infringement review team lacks the training to critically examine mobile phone and seatbelt violations generated by an AI system.
Determined to clear the case, Mick contacted the infringement review office a second time.
A new review officer examined three high-resolution images of the violation. These images are captured by the traffic camera but are not shared with the general public by Access Canberra for reasons unknown.
"The guy could see the gear shift in one of the images, and once again, no mobile phone in hand," Mick said.
To prove his son's innocence, he recreated and photographed his son's open hand moving from the manual gear shift to the steering wheel-the exact motion he believes the traffic camera caught.
"I then pointed out the open hand, lack of a grip action, and the fully visible webbing [on the car seat]. There was silence from the other end," he said of his third and most recent attempt to have Access Canberra withdraw the infringement.
Despite his technical and photographic evidence, the traffic infringement notice remains active, carrying a $548 fine and three demerit points.
"It is unfairly hanging over people's heads due to a systemic problem that immediately needs action by the ACT government," Mick said.
Despite a six-month struggle, the Canberran remains determined to continue his fight against a system he brands "technically flawed."
An Access Canberra spokesperson said there were no identified issues that would support the suggestion that drivers of manual vehicles are receiving mobile phone camera infringements when changing gears.
Images flagged by the automated system as potentially capturing a mobile device or seatbelt offence are first partially redacted to protect the privacy of the vehicle's occupants. These images are then assessed by a specialised officer employed by the camera provider.
Images deemed unlikely to contain an offence are permanently deleted, while those indicating a potential violation are unredacted and referred to Access Canberra.
"Images received are reviewed by specially trained Access Canberra authorised officers for final adjudication," the spokesperson said.
"Authorised officers scrutinise the high-quality images, including adjusting exposure, brightness and zoom, to determine if they reasonably believe an offence has occurred. Where they believe an offence did occur, an infringement notice is then sent to the registered operator of the vehicle."
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