Diplomatic Numberplates – Are They Necessary?

Road safety authorities have been so frustrated in their efforts to fine and prosecute foreign diplomats for traffic infringements that they have increasingly turned to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to intervene.

The department has confirmed to The Age that it wrote 14 official letters of complaint to foreign embassies during the last financial year, raising concerns about the behaviour of their staff on Australian roads. The department refused to name and shame the embassies, but it is understood the vast majority of those involved were from Third World and underdeveloped nations. There were no details given as to whether any of the written reprimands yielded results.

It was also revealed that during 2009-10 the department asked foreign embassies in Australia to give 18 waivers of immunity to allow the Australian Federal Police to question members of the diplomatic corps or to allow them to provide witness statements or other evidence. A waiver of immunity is when a foreign government agrees to forgo privileges and immunity provided to one of their diplomats so they can be quizzed by local law enforcement officials.

None of those requests for waivers of immunity were related to traffic matters and no charges were laid against any member of the diplomatic community during the year.