The new watchdog is investigating cameras, to make sure they're about safety first, and revenue-raising last.

Gordon Lewis - a straight talking former judge, and self-confessed boring driver, who has been nabbed twice for speeding in 30 years has been named the first Road Safety Camera Commissioner in Australia.

“If I can establish that a camera is malfunctioning, that will be acted upon immediately. I expect there will be a plethora of stuff about Eastlink,” Lewis said.

• CBD speed zones
• Underhanded speed cameras
• Safety camera quotas

Speeding fine consultant Scott Cooper Cooper welcomes the new speed camera watchdog, convinced he has his work cut out.

“We are still averaging about fifteen inquires a day from the Wellington Road Eastlink cameras - varying speed, but always around that 108 kilometres per hour mark,” Cooper said.

“We are averaging well over 450 enquires a day, 300 of those are about speed cameras. It seems that police have thrown their rules out the window. They have no rules, they are just going to book you and they don't care. This has nothing to do with road safety,” he added.

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The driving public is equally cynical. “The biggest concern we have is the speed camera on the M1 in Loganholme in Queensland – it’s just got the tills rattling in the coffers at the moment,” Cooper said.

In the past year, fixed cameras pinged 115,000 Queenslanders, with the State's biggest earners on Main Street, Kangaroo Point, the Bruce Highway, Burpengary and the Gold Coast Highway, and Southport.

In New South Wales cameras on Cleveland Street Moore Park were the State's top earner last year, making $3.6 million, and the coffers are bolstered by drivers caught on the Great Western Highway Parramatta, and the Hume Highway Bankstown.

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In Victoria Eastlink cameras are akin to cash machines, making $8.6 million a year. The Western Ring Road Sunshine West was almost as much, and in Hoppers Crossing drivers have parted with $7.2 million.

According to former police officer turned lawyer, Michael Kuzilny, “we’re seeing so many people in the courts saying they weren't speeding, they're trying to save their licenses, but people are simply losing their licenses on demerit points.”

“Australia's now talking about getting even more laser speed cameras from Dorset, England, which can pick up somebody using a mobile phone or even not wearing a seatbelt, from half a mile,” he added.

The Concept 2 Laser Speed Camera stores hours of high definition video on DVD, and Dorset police claim it’s the best tool yet to help make their roads safer. At home our newest Commissioner is inviting disgruntled motorists to dob in cameras they believe may be malfunctioning.

“If there’s a problem with the system, or the operation of the camera itself, I see myself as an advocate to address that, if it’s led to an injustice,” Lewis said.