Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws show 40,437 NSW motorists had their licences suspended last year, up from 33,778 in 2006 and a big jump from 16,805 in 2003.

The proliferation of speed cameras is blamed for the surge in suspensions, with fines from fixed cameras almost doubling last year to more than 620,000 issued.

Fully licenced drivers must accumulate more than 12 demerit points before they lose their licence, with all speeding fines carrying a minimum three demerit points.

Peak motoring group NRMA says the rising rate of licence suspension was also a threat to economic productivity, with a recent survey of business showing 23 per cent had workers who were currently off the road.

Some businesses also reported they had fired staff who had lost their ability to drive.

The figures are reported in The Daily Telegraph.

Opposition backs speeding Minister

ABC News - Wed May 28, 2008

New South Wales Education Minister John Della Bosca has received support from an unlikely quarter after he lost his licence for speeding offences.

Opposition road safety spokesman Andrew Fraser says too many motorists are being unfairly penalised from the proliferation of fixed speeding cameras around Sydney.

Mr Fraser says the cameras are being used more as a means of raising revenue than slowing traffic.

"I think that John Della Bosca and a number of people are being caught by fixed speed cameras," he said. "It's quite easy to overrun the speed limit on Sydney roads by 10 kilometres an hour."

But Mr Della Bosca does not share Mr Fraser's view.

"I've said everything there is to say about that incident and I'm just putting that behind me," he said.

"Of course the speed cameras exist for a good reason. It's important that everybody observes speed limits."

The Education Minister is not the only Cabinet member who has been fined for speeding.

On Monday, Deputy Premier John Watkins revealed he was among thousands of motorists who had their fines waived after being caught speeding in the Lane Cove Tunnel last year.

Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal cancelled 6,000 fines last year after many motorists were caught by a reduction in the speed limit to 40 kilometres an hour to allow for roadworks.

Mr Watkins said he neither asked for the fine to be waived nor spoke to any other minister or department about it.

NSW forced to defend school safety

ABC News - Thu May 29, 2008

The New South Wales Government is defending its spending on school zone safety after it was revealed motorists are rarely caught speeding past most of the state's schools.

The Government promised a crackdown on child safety last year after an accident involving Sophie Delezio.

But Freedom of Information figures have revealed less than 1 per cent of schools attracted 95 per cent of the speeding fines in the second half of 2007.

Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal says the Government is spending $46 million rolling out flashing lights around school zones to warn drivers.

"In addition, we also fund pedestrian fencing, pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, pedestrian overpasses, as well as over 1,000 lollipop people to slow drivers down and allow schoolchildren to cross safely in school zones," he said.

Opposition road safety spokesman Andrew Fraser says the figures have exposed the flaws in the Government's program.

"The Government's promised us for a long while a roll-out of flashing lights across NSW but we're seeing very few of these being done," he said.

"All we're seeing is a few cameras collecting a huge amount of fines in highly trafficked areas."