Vehicle registration plates of Australia
Australian vehicle number plates are issued by the states, territories, and also the Commonwealth government and the armed forces. The plates are associated with a vehicle and generally last for the vehicle's on-road life, though as they become unreadable (or for other reasons) they may be recalled or replaced with newer ones. From the 1970s until the late 1990s, most Australian plates were of the form xxx·xxx (with x being either letters or numbers) - for example, aaa·nnn in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory; naa.nnn in Western Australia, where the starting number was between 6 and 9; and nnn.aaa in Queensland. More recently as these series have reached the limit of their capacity, different States and Territories have chosen different continuations, so the commonality with respect to format is at an end. Nevertheless, most plates are the same size for a given vehicle, so there remains an element of consistency between them.
Summary of current standard issue plates
| State/territory | Text/background colour | Format | Slogan | Current series | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | blue/white | Yaa·nna | ACT CANBERRA · THE NATION'S CAPITAL | YFa·nna | |
| New South Wales | black/yellow | aa·nn·aa | THE FIRST STATE | AU·nn·aa | |
| Northern Territory | ochre/white | nnn·nnn | NT · OUTBACK AUSTRALIA | 7nn·nnn | |
| Queensland | maroon/white | nnn·aaa | QUEENSLAND · SUNSHINE STATE or QUEENSLAND · THE SMART STATE | nnn·Kaa | |
| South Australia | black/white | aaa·nnn | SA · The Festival State | Xaa·nnn | Decal of piping shrike, the state bird of SA, in centre. Slogan is blue. |
| Tasmania | blue/white | a nn aa | TASMANIA · Exploring the possibilties | A nn AA | Background decal of state logo (a thylacine walking through reeds) |
| Victoria | blue/white | aaa·nnn | VICTORIA · THE PLACE TO BE | WJa·nnn | State logo decal in top centre (Southern Cross in a blue triangle) |
| Western Australia | blue/white | naaa·nnn | WESTERN AUSTRALIA | 1Caa·nnn | Decorative motif of sunset and Perth skyline along top of plate |
Federal numbering scheme
From 1951-2, Australian automobiles were to adopt a broad scheme across all states and territories for vehicle numberplates. However, while implemented, this was not entirely popular as state and territories preferred their own identity reflected on their vehicles instead. They were to use the following scheme:
- New South Wales: AAA-000 to FZZ-999
- Victoria: GAA-000 to MZZ-999 (Ixx-nnn series skipped)
- Queensland: NAA-000 to QZZ-999 (Oxx-nnn series initially skipped by Queensland)
- South Australia: RAA-000 to TZZ-999
- Northern Territory: UAA-000 to WZZ-999
- Tasmania: XAA-000 to XZZ-999
- Australian Capital Territory: YAA-000 to ZZZ-999
Western Australia was itself deemed too large to fit into the proposed scheme and adhered to one of its own devising; plates in the Ixx-nnn series were to be skipped (as a capital-I was believed to be easily mistaken for a number 1). This allowed the two populous states with greater registrations of vehicles 6 letter-series each (NSW had A-F, Victoria G-H and J-M), and others with 3 letter-series (Queensland N-Q, South Australia R-T, Northern Territory U-W). Tasmania was only given one due to its size, and the ACT two: Y for private registrations and Z for governmental use. Plates were to be uniform in size, with a black background and white lettering: NSW immediately changed this to a yellow background and black lettering, and the ACT to a white background and blue lettering; all other states followed white-on-black otherwise.
However, this system was not as popular as expected: Tasmania and the Northern Territory refused and implemented their own systems immediately. Western Australia soon adopted the scheme, taking charge of the previously NT issued UAA-000 to WZZ-999, (WAG-000 to WAG-999 being reserved for WA Government vehicles) then extending to XZZ-999.
Queensland - after initially skipping the O-series (as a capital-O was often confused for a number 0) - were left with too few combinations for a growing number of registrations. In 1978, having exhausted Nxx-nnn to Pxx-nnn combinations Queensland reversed the format, starting at 000-NAA continuing through to 999-PZZ in 1987, when plates commencing at 000-AAA were issued (there are still a number of vehicles in Queensland - growing rarer as new cars and new plates replace them - with the old white-on-black issue P-series plates at this time).
All the remaining states and territories stuck to their initial allocations, until the number of registrations became too large for each state and were 'overflowed' into the next series otherwise allocated to another state: NSW overflowed from FZZ-999 to GAA-000 (otherwise issued to Victoria) in 1972, Victoria (having reserved the Mxx-nnn series for State government registrations) overflowed from LZZ-999 to IAA-000 (previously skipped) in 1974, and then from IZZ-999 to AAA-000 (otherwise issued to NSW) in 1977. South Australia did similar, overflowing from SZZ-999 to UAA-000 (having reserved the Txx-nnn series for trailer registrations).
Common features
Plates tend to bear the State or Territory name and a state motto or slogan in the bottom of the plate. Recent issues of plates (since the 1990s) also often use the state's colors and may include some imagery related to the state (such as the state's logo as the dot separating the groups of numbers).
Vehicles running on autogas or compressed natural gas usually have a metal diamond with a white lettering LPG on red background or metal disc with white lettering CNG on red background tag riveted onto the plate. If multiple gas tanks are fitted to vehicle, two tags are sometimes used. In some instances the second tag may state the number of gas tanks fitted to the vehicle.
New South Wales
General Series
From 1910 to 1937, number plates were in numerals only. Prior to 1924, these were issued with black lettering on a white background, until recalled and subsequently replaced with the reverse colour format: white lettering on a black background. All contained an "NSW" insert from 1912. Registration was also kept with the vehicle corresponding to the given numberplate, these days as a sticker on the windscreen or side-windows of the vehicles.
In 1937, letters in numberplates were first introduced, using a AA-000 to ZZ-999 series. This ran until 1951 with the "NSW" insert on the top of the plate. It is the beginning of Page embossed dies.
From 1951, plates were 3 characters and three numbers (as per the Federal scheme): AAA-000 to FZZ-999, issued on a yellow background with black lettering, with "NSW" insert on the top of the plate. From 1968, cancelled numbers in that range were reissued, but this did not last long, so the Department of Motor Transport DMT (now RTA) needed to fill in unissued plates containing I and Q on the 2nd and 3rd letter characters (eg: AIA-123, AMQ-123).
By 1972, NSW had reached the limit imposed by the Federal scheme: a new series started at GAA-000 and ran to ZLF-999 in July 2004. The "NSW" insert was struck from the top of the plate to be replaced by a state-personalised branding (or slogan) during this time.
Reflective black-on-yellow plates began from October 1980 and corresponded with slogan (exception: non-reflective from October 1996 to March 2001).
NSW plates attracted the following slogans, usually located at the bottom of the plate:
- October 1980 to November 1988: NSW - The Premier State
- November 1988 to Mar 1989: NSW (interim series)
- Mar 1989 to present: New South Wales legend at bottom of plates introduced. Standardised option from October 1996.
- Jun 1989 to September 1994: NSW - The First State
- September 1994 to September 1996: NSW - Towards 2000
By July 2004, combinations of the old 3-letter, 3-number series were practically exhausted. A new series starting at AA-00-AA replaced the old series, continuing the current reflective black-on-yellow plates and New South Wales legend.
Personalised Plates
Format Options: AB-123, AB-1234, ABC-123, ABC-12D, AB-12-CD
Motorcycle Format Options: AB-12, AB-123, ABC-12
Since 1969, personalisation become the option from AA-000 to ZZ-999 (white-on-black)& Motorcycles (white-on-black) AB-12 and later, in the mid-1970s, AAA-000 to ZZZ-999 (black-on-yellow) and AA-0000 to ZZ-9999 (white-on-black) were added. In 2004, the white on black range was extended to ABC-123, prior to that the RTA suspended the issuing of yellow on black (ABC-123) personalised range from 2003 until March 2006, when it resumed in a varied narrower dies format.
Custom plates (now called Personalised Plus) were introduced in December 1981 bearing the NSW - The Premier State slogan and were replaced in 1987 by black-on-gold issues with "NSW" on top. It is still in use though dies variations occurred from time to time. Motorists can choose any combined letters and numbers (excluding I & O), including solely letters (max 6 characters). Plate customisation has also been added into the coloured, premium range and recently motorcycles (Mar 07).
Personalised Plus Plates as of 28 March 2008, now include NRL formats with 16 team colour options.
Slimline Plates
From March 1991, Premium plates commenced, starting their series at AAA-12A with black lettering on a reflective white background, in a smaller font than their standard counterparts; the NSW insert runs down the plate on its left-hand side. These plates, while usually not longer in length, were shorter in height and looked slimmer than their black-on-yellow standard issues. Customisation of these plates commenced in 1994 at AAA-12A, AA-1234, AAA-123 and recently AA-12-ZA.
In September 2005, the Premium Plates ceased and replaced by white bordered slimlines. Remakes of damaged premiums are only available.
In December 2006, the series has reached the B's thus commencing from BAA onwards.
Euro Plates
A new style of plates fitting European dimensions was introduced after 2000 as N XF-90A or N XN-099 (in these examples, the N was part of the plate series but segregated by a space and a different colour-letter colour combination from the rest of the plate). These plates have a compulsory "N" prefix at the first letter. The range has just been extended (November 2006) and marketed as a Black Euro while the Euro format introduced in 2002 is now marketed as White Euro.
Coloured and Metallic Plates
Format Options: AB-123, AB-1234, ABC-123, ABC-12D, AB-12-CD and Personalised Plus
Motorcycle Format Options: AB-12, AB-123, ABC-12
In Sept 2003 coloured plates were launched, available in white-on-red, white-on-blue, white-on-purple and white-on-green (all reflective). In August 2005 the range was extended to metallic silver-on-black, gold-on-black, black-on-silver and black-on-gold. Formats used are aa-nnn, aa-nnnn, aaa-nnn and aa-nn-aa.
By March 2007, the colour range were extended to motorcycles hence the formats available are aa-nn, aa-nnn and aaa-nn The following colours are : Black-on-lemon yellow, white-on-red, white-on-blue (all reflective), White-on-black, metallic silver-on-black, gold-on-black, black-on-silver and black-on-gold.
Custom plates were also added to the cycle range and are offered in black-on-gold and has max 5 characters.
Over the counter plates standard combinations are coded into each colour for example, Silver on black would show as SB-nn-aa
In July 2004, NSW started issuing general plates in the format 2-letters, 2-digits, 2-letters, starting from AA-00-AB (AA-nn-AA were reserved for promotional use by the RTA). Personalisation of those new series commenced a few months later in the coloured range, then later in metallic range and finally the white bordered.
Motorcycles
Motorcycles were numerics until 1937 when it changed to alpha numeric format as AB-12 then in 1951, changed to Yellow on black AB-123, and by August 1989, it was taken off after exhausting in Z series by December 1985 & restarting at AA-050 until EE-999 and replaced by the new series ZXX-99 that go in reverse.
Special Issues
1987 - 1988 - Bicentenary issued to commonerate Australia's 200th Birthday in white on reflective black with a crest of the NSW Flag and imprinted as "NSW The Premier State 1788-1988"
1997 - 1998 - RSL Plates in green on mid yellow - "NSW Lest We Forget"
1998 - 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Plates - "Share the Spirit" in black on white with blue band on bottom and the Sydney Olympic Logo
2001 - 2002 Centenary of Federation - White on black with gold legend - "Centenary of Federation" and a limited edition from 1901-CF to 2001-CF.
2007-2008 Sydney Harbour Bridge Plates - SHB Harbour Bridge shaped plates from SHB-1 to SHB-99 only sold via on-line auctions. In White on graphic background of the Bridge.
Standard slimline series HB-12-AC issued for 12 months those sales ceased on 27th March 2008. Black on white with bridge graphic in light grey.
2008 - Centenary NRL Footy plates of all NRL teams now sold through an online auction - http://www.nrlplates.com.au/ and comes in team colours and the number digits represents half back half eight, front rowers, back rowers, centres and wingers. Auction will end in late April 2008.
Standard remake, personalised and personalised plus plates for NRL fans in a choice of 16 team colours are offered and is in standard size format and slimline premium dies.
Other vehicles
Vehicles with particular purposes in New South Wales have been introduced with numberplates specific to their type.
- Taxis have two types of plate: Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong plates have a T-nnnn or T-nnn format, while regional and country taxis use TC-nnnn or TC-nnn. They have white characters on a blue background. Between 1982 to 1995 new taxi plates were issued in black on reflective yellow but has since reverted to white on blue.
- Tow truck plates use a nnnn-TT format. They have blue characters on a white background, and the top of the plate reads "TOW TRUCK", that was introduced in October 2000. The original yellow on black format with NSW The First state or Towards 2000 began in November 1990. It is now in the current NEW SOUTH WALES format and is seen to have 9906-TT as of 28 March 2008.
- Buses and coaches have black on yellow plates, with the prefix MO-nnnn (MO = Motor Omnibus), or TV-nnnn for Tourist Vehicle. Buses in Sydney operated by the State Transit Authority of New South Wales or private operators have M/O-nnnn plates, but with the M over the O. During 2006, The RTA took action to correct the M/O, MO & TV plates by recalling all standard or personalised plates on buses/coaches and replaced with either M/O, MO & TV series.
- Trailers, caravans, etc. have black-on-yellow plates, using a 1-letter, 5-number (a-nnnnn) format excluding I, O and T letters. Until August 1981, it was in Black on white format AB-1234, starting as T, R then A, B, C series from the 1940s until it was taken off.
- Police and emergency vehicles in New South Wales, such as ambulances and fire engines, have the standard-issue black-on-yellow plates: they currently follow the aa-nn-aa standard. The plates themselves have no special markings. Fire Brigade vehicles are registered in the FBY-nnn series.
- Vehicles such as forklifts, tractors and other farm machines, implements, or non-standard vehicles that need to use public roads as part of their operation can be registered conditionally. These plates are in the format nnnnn-C, e.g. 60567-C and in cycle size as 1234-C. They have green text on a white background with bottom legend NSW Conditional.
- Historic & veteran cars now have Historic Car plates in purple on reflective white and screenprinted as NSW HISTORIC in 12345-H format and for cycles 1234-H. From 1959 to 2002 there were colourful club plates provided by the club and was manufactured in either Vintage Car or Veteran Car legend on top. They were withdrawn from use in 2002 and the current H series is in use.
- Trade plates since 1910 as known as Agent's Plates, in the a-nnn format was standard porcleain white on black until 1937 when it changed to very large page embossed dies in an annual colour and it remained until 1958. From 1958 the year was added on top of NSW & runs from A-0000 to A-9999. By 1982, the design was changed, the year moved to the left nand side in vertical, and the dies format changed to standard car size as the previous very large dies was used from 1937. In 1991, it changed to permanent trade plates with trade word replacing the year, colour changed to white on dark green & ran until 2004 when it was replaced by either nnnn-A or A-nnnn with year & bottom legend - NSW TRADE screenprinted & a change to the premium dies. Since 2006 the colours are white on brown. Cycles are in either B-nnn or nnn-B formats.
- 2004 nnnn-A white on green
- 2005 A-nnnn white on brown
- 2006 nnnn-A white on brown
- 2007 A-nnnn white on brown
- 2008 nnnn-A white on brown
- CdeC Consular Plates - In 1941 the CdeC plates series commenced and ran until 1978 showing the format as CdeC-nnn. CdeC has a shield with the letters inside and was white on blue. The replacement CC series took over. A similar format has been used in QLD, NT, & WA. Special purpose plates are used for consular corps since 1978 in CC-2000 to CC-4999 range, initially in white on blue then changed to black on yellow by August 1983,with the same legend at top NSW CONSULAR CORPS. The legend moved to the bottom from changeover to fat dies in October 1992 and since the vartiations of dies & bases occurred from time to time.
Victoria
Number plates have been issued in Victoria since 1910. Like other Australian plates, these are usually particular to a vehicle, changing hands with it, and are generally permanent (yearly registration is however required, with stickers displayed in the lower passenger-side of the windscreen).
Initial Victorian plates, issued from 1910 to 1939, were in numerals only, from 300-000 to 990-999. From 1930, "VIC" inserts were added vertically down the left-hand side of the plate.
In 1939 Victoria switched to a 2-letter, 3-number scheme (AA-000 to ZZ-999) of which also bear "VIC" down the left-hand side, this format interestingly, is the current format issued to motorcycles.
From 1953, owing to the Federal number plate system, Victorian plates switched to the 3-letter, 3-number standard: GAA-000 to HZZ-999, and JAA-000 to LZZ-999, coloured white lettering on a black background, and a "VIC" insert on the top of the plate. As previously mentioned, Victoria skipped the I-series and went straight from HZZ-999 to JAA-000, as a capital-I could be mistaken as a number 1. However, having reached the end of their Federal allotment of letters, Victoria commenced from LZZ-999 to IAA-000 (ensuring the capital-I had noticeable staves to tell them apart from the number 1) in 1974. This was only a temporary measure, naturally, as Victoria faced the same problem having proceeded through the I series three years later; it was decided to restart the plate issues at AAA-000 and redesign the plate for the first time in 27 years at the same time.
In 1977, reflective green-on-white plates were introduced, beginning at AAA-000 and running to FZZ-999. These bore the insert Victoria - Garden state at the bottom of the plate. In the early nineties, it was discovered that the reflective properties of many number plates in the range from AAA to ERZ, and principally the C series, were defective and this had coincided with the rapid introduction of speed cameras in Victoria. Due to the number of plates which were unidentifiable in photographs, all defective plates were recalled and new plates issued free of charge. This caused the rapid consumption of the plate stocks especially in the late F series and some plates (those starting with FV and FY) were produced in Queensland to meet demand. These plates are identifiable by their different font. An additional series RAA-000 until RBZ-999 was produced. It is a popular myth that the defective paint was caused by prisoners manufacturing the plates urinating in the paint mixture. In 1984(?) for the 150th anniversary of European settlement in Victoria, plates bore the slogan Victoria - 150 Years down the bottom. In 1988 for the Australian Bicentennial, the plates bore the "VIC" insert vertically down the left-hand side and also the slogan Australia - 1788 to 1988 across the bottom.
In late 1994, in an initiative by the then-Premier, Jeff Kennett, reflective blue-on-white plates were introduced, beginning at NAA-000. The diamond-dot in the middle was changed to the state logo of a blue St Edward's Crown over an upside-down blue triangle with the Victorian Southern Cross in white inside. These plates bore the slogan Victoria - On the move across the bottom. The "on the move" notation was the source of many jokes in Queensland, being stated as "Victoria - on the move, to Queensland" - owing to the massive "seachange" internal migration that has occurred in the last 20-30 years, with many Victorians moving to Queensland for a life change. In late 1999 when the new Labor Party won government, they phased out the old state logo and motto to prepare for the introduction of a new one. Until these were finalised, plates (in the QCa-nnn series at the time) reverted to the old diamond-dot with simply Victoria across the bottom. In late 2000, the dot became the new logo simply of an enlarged blue triangle with the Victorian Southern Cross in it, the top lining up with the top of the plate, and bearing the slogan Victoria - The place to be across the bottom. As of late March 2008 the general issue plates have reached the WJ series.
For cars with plate spaces designed to hold European-style plates (rather than the taller Australian plates), there are three options. Firstly, shorter 'slimline' plates which bear the "VIC" insert vertically down the left-hand-side and use a noticeably different font; these are usually the same width as Australian plates. Unlike other states' slimline or premium plates, Victorian premium plates follow the same numbering as standard plates. Secondly, there are two types of plates (Standard and Mini) designed specifically to look like European number plates, called Euro plates. The standard Euro plates are 520 mm wide and 112 mm high and the mini ones are 372 mm wide and 100 mm high. Euro plates have a blue section to the left containing "VIC" vertically above a Victorian Southern Cross, and in the main section contain a V, a full-colored Victorian coat of arms, and two letters, a space and three numbers. These plates use the German unfalsifiable font. Victorian general issue plates are to go seven digits, like WA, once the current series is exhausted.
Other vehicles
- Trucks and other heavy vehicles in Victoria are also given standard car-issued plates. Buses, coaches and commercially owned or run mini-buses are bearing new plates using a 4-number, 2-letter (nnnn-aa) format: the two letters at the end of the plate are usually AO, AC, or SO, depending under which registration they fall under (Accredited Operator, Accredited Commercial, and School Operator[citation needed]). They usually bear the usual state logo or diamond, with 'Accredited bus' across the top and the Victoria - The place to be across the bottom. Vehicles used by primary producer in Victoria may be eligible for a discounted registration fee, such vehicles bear nnnnn-F plates, with 'Victorian Farmer' across the top[1].
- Melbourne Tow Trucks (the first 1,000) used TOW-nnn, when the 1,001 tow truck was registered, the format swapped to nnnn-TT. The TT standing for Tow Truck. This allowed for another 10,000 tow trucks to be registered.
- Motorcycles have smaller plates, using a 2-letter, 3-number format (aa-nnn). The colouring and format of motorcycle plates has changed with the standard car-issued plates, except for the emblem inserts or other symbols that may take more space to represent. The motorcycle series is soon expected to have cycled through all possible combinations, and a replacement series will soon have to be allocated. (possibly naa-nnn is being used as a replacement)
- Normal trailers requiring their own registration in Victoria follow the 1-letter, 5-number format (ann-nnn). Semi-trailers tend to use the nnnnn-S format exclusively. Trailers otherwise use the vehicle's plate for identification. Bike racks fitted onto the rear of vehicles (and naturally having bicycles obstructing the numberplate) can have smaller numerical plates (black-on-white design) with Victoria - Bike Rack as the insert, fixed on the end of the rack and clearly visible.
- Melbourne taxis and other hire-cars used to use a T-nnnn or TC-nnnn plate, which was dark-green with white lettering. This has now been replaced with a 1-letter, 4-number (a-nnnn) format, where the four digits form the taxi's registration number. Melbourne suburban taxis use a M-nnnn designation generally, although taxis for 'peak use only' use ST-nnnn or nnnn-PS. Outer suburban and regional taxis use a C-nnnn designation, and country and urban taxis use a U-nnnnn designation. Vehicles registered and operated under Victorian Hire Authority regulations that are hired with a chauffeur (most commonly black Ford Fairlanes or Holden Statesman sedans due to their long wheel base) used a reserved VHA-nnn and VHB-nnn series, allowing them to use taxi or transit lanes on Melbourne roads.
- Government cars (including police cars and fire engines) usually use the M-series of plates, reserved specifically for them, in the format Maa-nnn. These are identical in size to the standard series, except they use red lettering on a white background (instead of the usual green or blue at present) with the one exception of the maroon plates with white lettering, which tended to be in series MZa-nnn issued prior to the Garden State plates of 1977. The series appeared to run backwards through to about MVa-nnn, until the plates started at MAA-000 again in late 1994 concurrently with the introduction of blue-on-white standard plates (see above). Current plates are at MCa-nnn.
- Number plates which are no longer legible (due to accidents, age, etc) need to be replaced. This may either be with the next available combination in the current series (with a new registration sticker noting the new plate number), or with the old issued number. If the old number was a green series plate (AAA-000 to FZZ-999, RAA-000 to RBZ-999), green-on-white is still used, but they all bear a simple Victoria down the bottom, rather than Victoria - Garden State or the bicentennial special they replaced.
- Victoria's customised numberplates allow a maximum of 6 characters, and may bear white lettering on a customised background.
Recently some prestige plates have been issued, which consist of four numbers or two groups of three numbers. A B-nnnnn series has been released for vehicles registered in Bendigo (B-0001 to B-4999) and Ballarat (B-5001 to B-5999): these have a customised insert of their town, and are usually blue lettering on a reflective yellow background; slogans can alter. Those also registered to horse studs across Victoria can reserve a V-nnnn series, usually brown lettering on a yellow background and stating Victorian Thoroughbred as a slogan. Still more are designed after football teams, and a limited edition Grand Prix series (GP-001 to GP-999) was authorised when Melbourne first hosted the Australian Grand Prix in 1996. Slimline editions of these plates have also been spotted, and still other combinations are being sighted.
- Some vehicles registered around the time of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games have used M06-nnn plates. Many vehicles actually used in the Commonwealth Games used XAa-nnn plates (standard design).
Some of the last of the Green on White 'Garden State' numberplates FVa-nnn and FYa-nnn were manufactured in Queensland (QLD were green on white at the time). These are distinguishable by the vertical diamond (as opposed to the horizontal diamond plates stamped in Victoria) and different thicker dies used to stamp the plates. Since October 2007 the plates commencing with WAA-nnn and onwards are manufactured by Toennjes, a German company in Ararat, Victoria.
| Series | Years | Color scheme | Motto |
|---|---|---|---|
| G–H,J-L,I | 1953–1977 | white-on-black | (none) |
| A | 1979–1981 | green-on-white | Garden State |
| B | 1982–1983 | green-on-white | Garden State |
| C | 1983 | Garden State or 150 Years, some have Nuclear Free State | |
| D | 1986 | Garden State (1988: Australia 1788-1988) | |
| E | 1989 – Late 1992 | Garden State, some (eg: EYF-nnn) have Drive Safely | |
| F | December 1992 – October 1994 | Garden State | |
| Ra-Rb | November? – December 1994 | ||
| M | 1965–pres., Govt cars only | red-on-white | (of the year) |
| N | January 1995 – December 1996 | blue-on-white | On the move |
| O | 1997 – 1998 | ||
| P | Late 1998 – December 1999 | ||
| Q | January 2000 – 2001 | (none from Qe-Qz) | |
| Rc-Rz | Late 2001 – 2002 | The place to be | |
| S | 2003 – June 2004 | ||
| T | July 2004 – Early 2006 | ||
| U | Early 2006 – September 2007 | ||
| W | September 2007 – | "V" assigned to special European-style number plates |
Queensland
Queensland number plates have an unusual format, as the numbers come before the letters. The current format is nnn-aaa. Two slogans are used: Queensland - The Sunshine State in conjunction with Queensland - The Smart State. Former State Premier Peter Beattie had (up until 2007) been promoting the use the of slogan "Smart State" to describe the State Government's efforts to promote education, research and development within Queensland and in the early 2000s introduced the slogan to licence plates. However, after public ridicule (and several interstate jibes) the State Government agreed to allow vehicle owners the choice between the new slogan and the old Sunshine State slogan. "The Sunshine State" is the most popular, few people choose "Smart State".
Queensland number plates have maroon text on a white background. Maroon is the official state colour of Queensland and is also used by the state's sporting teams. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Queensland number plates had green text on a white background.
From 1955 to 1977, plates were in the format "aaa-nnn" and were painted white on black. prior to that [1921-1955], the plates were "Q-nnn-nnn". The "Q" area was painted black on a white background, while the numbers were painted white on a black background.
In 1977, reflective plates were introduced, beginning at 000-NAA through to 999-PZZ. In late 1987, Queensland switched to the current format of green on white plates beginning at 000-AAA. The green writing was changed to maroon at 000-GKK. As mentioned above, 2 slogans are currently available in the maroon on reflective white colour scheme;QUEENSLAND-SUNSHINE STATE (with plates 000-GKK to 999-GZZ, 000-HFU to 999-HOY, 000-HQR to 999-HZZ (excluding all HRU series), and 000-IAA to 999-IZZ (excluding all ISA series), 000-JEA to 999-JJZ, 000-JKU? to 999-JZZ, 000-KBA to 999-KEZ, 000-KGA to 999-KNZ, 000-KPA to present. All others to date have SMART STATE slogans.
Other vehicles
State Government-owned vehicles' plates have the format QGa-nnn, and newer plates (since about 2003-4), having run out of numbers, use nnn-QGx. Most State Government vehicles bear the "Smart State" slogan ("QG", of course, standing for "Queensland Government").
As of May 2007, due to repetitive reissues of the QGA-000 to QGZ-999 and 000-QGA to 999-QGZ format, the Government Series format has changed to QG-AB12.
Special "blocks" of plates are allocated to different vehicles; Tnn-nnn for Taxi, C-12345 for limited use vehicles (mainly roadworks equipment and golf buggies), L-12345 for limousines and C-de-C-123 for consular staff vehicles.
Motorcycles are issued with one plate, in the AA-000 to ZY-999 format from October 1980 until October 2006. 000-AA commenced from October 2006 onwards.
Queensland motorists have a choice of nearly 100 different types of personalised plates. Personalised plates are very popular amongst Queenslanders and often sell for a premium via classifieds or various online portals such as Ebay. The high degree of flexibility for Queensland personalised plates, along with their being a relatively cheap once-off cost, means that personalised plates are becoming almost as common as regular plates. Proceeds from the sale of personalised plate go towards road safety activities. Queensland plates are manufactured by LicenSys in Brisbane.
South Australia
In South Australia, standard numberplates follow the 3-letter, 3-number (xxx-nnn) standard used by New South Wales and Victoria: their series, introduced in 1966 started with RAA-000 and has continued from there to the current day. Standard Example Up until 1966 South Australian plates were all numerical, and were subject to re-issue, in either nn-nnn or nnn-nnn format, white on black background. These plates are available for re-issue at a fee. [2] Post 1966 motorcycles were initially issued with RA-000 to SZ-999 then TAA-000 to TIZ-999. Trailers were issued TJA-000 to TZZ-999. Motorcycles are presently issued with high end Yxx-nnn, and trailers issued YAA-000 onwards
Since 1995, Premium Numberplates can be purchased which are much more compact in size, in the format xx-nnnx: the letter is usually repeated (eg: AA-nnnx, BB-nnnx, current series CC-nnnx). These seem to follow the New South Wales Premium format, using black lettering on a white background on a noticeably slimmer plate. South Australian Premium numberplates feature black characters on a white background, and the letters "SA" down the side, in the same format as NSW premium numberplates.
Government and police vehicles have blue text on white background, with a Q as the second latter (as in WQL-579), signifing "Queen" or representative of the government, and older systems allocated SAA-000 to SZZ-999 to government services as well. Ambulances, especially in Adelaide, may have plates in the form AMB-nnn, however these are being phased out and replaced with standard SA government plates. Metropolitan taxis have plates with the word TAXI in a smaller size followed by three or four numbers, separated by the SA Great logo. Other chauffered vehicles have a different style plate with a blue outline.
Interestingly, no general issue SA numberplates (other than Government) are issued with the letter Q anywhere in the combination. The only exception is the series VPQ-nnn and WSQ-nnn - both of which were the first set issued by a new manufacturer.
Since 1981, all general issue SA plates bare the slogan "SA - The Festival State", for the Adelaide Festival of Arts. Since 1997, other slogans have been available for an additional fee, including: South Australia - Gateway to the Outback; South Australia - The Defence State; South Australia - The Wine State; South Australia - the Creative State; and South Australia - The Rose State.
It is also possible to obtain a wide variety of personalised numberplates that feature full-colour illustrations and customised logos or slogans. Examples of Custom Plates
For a full gallery of plates visit Transport SA.
- Since September 2007, The Heavy Vehicle series commenced and the format used is SB-12-AB that also used in NSW General Series. They are in black on reflective white with the legend - SA HEAVY VEHICLE.
Western Australia
License plates are issued either as a general plate or as non metropolitan LGA specific plate. LGA specific plates can only be requested when the owner of the vehicle is resident within that LGA. In addition to plates for on road use Western Australia also has a plate series for vehicles designated for off-road use only.
General Plates
- The current series is of the form naaa-nnn (eg: 1ABC-123).
- The previous series (between 1978 and 1997) is of the form naa-nnn, where the first "n" ranged from 6 to 9 (eg: 9BC-456).
- Prior to 1978, the series was of the form Xaa-nnn (eg: XLA-789).
- Earlier still, the series was in the form Uaa-nnn (eg: UGH-675).
- UQB-nnn was reserved for Transperth (formerly MTT) buses with 3-digit registration numbers usually corresponding to the bus fleet numbers. Buses introduced after 1989 use the TP-nnnn reserved range.
- Privately-operated buses, coaches TC-nnnn (Touring Coach) plates.
- TAXI-nnn plates are used for taxicabs.
- Limousines carry the plate PT-nnn
- Motorbikes have the plate naa-nnn (eg: 1AB-123)
- Trailers, caravans etc have nTaa-nnn (eg: 1TAB-123)
Outside metropolitan Perth
- There are 143 registration districts (mostly shire or town councils) which each issue licence plates using the form "loc·n" (for shires) and "loc n" (for towns or cities) - for example, "A nnnn" would be a plate issued by the City of Albany, while AU.nnnn would be issued by the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River. A full list has been published near the back of the government-produced Metropolitan Street Directory/Streetsmart each year since 1985. Special licence plate versions for Shires, Cities and Towns have been made available to purchase. They are in the format "nnn loc" with the Shire, City or Town crest between the numbers and letters.
- There had been a change in the WA licensing system where, for a period of time, all number plates in the state reverted to the equivalent of metropolitan plates, and then back to separate districts and plates again.[citation needed]
- In recent years towns within shires have been allocated licence plates. Examples include FR.nnn for Frankland in Shire of Cranbrook and KND.nnn for Kendenup in the Shire of Plantagenet.
General
Western Australia also offers the largest number of characters in a personalised number plate, offering up to nine characters. Western Australian government plates are the same pattern as standard issue, however the colours are inverted, as depicted in the image.
Slogans on Western Australian number plates changed a number of times in the 1980s, and included "State of Excitement", "Home of the America's Cup" and "The Golden State". However, slogans were abandoned at the beginning of the 1990s.
Tasmania
Tasmanian number plates have the format xx-nnnn, with current plates starting with the letter "F".
Tasmanian plates bear the slogan "Tasmania - Your Natural State", and have blue lettering on a white background with a coloured decal of the Tasmanian state logo in the background (a stylised thylacine prowling through reeds on a riverbank).
Until about 1997/98, the slogan "Tasmania - Holiday Isle" was used. Prior to that, 3 letters 3 numbers Waa-nnn were used, but this was from 1954 onwards.
Tasmanian Government numberplates feature a red G followed by 5 numbers in blue eg G12345, and say 'TAS GOVT' at the top of the plate. Older Government plates have a red GV or GT followed by 4 numbers.
Tasmania Fire Service vehicles use red lettering on a white background plates with the letters TFS followed by 3 numbers with the TFS logo in the center, TFS-nnn.
Members of the Consular Corps in Tasmania use plates with the letters CC followed by a colour depiction of the flag of the country they represent, followed by two numbers.
Staff of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources enjoy certain diplomatic status and are issued with plates with the letters IC, followed by one or two numbers.
The Governor of Tasmania's official cars are registered and insured, but in keeping with vice-regal tradition, they display the Royal Crown, rather than number plates. If the Governor himself is being conveyed, his personal flag will also be flown on the car.
In the illustration, the three plates on the left side from top to bottom are 'EN1113 current issue, CO7984 1980-1996 issue, WYG734 1950's issue non reflective (none is circulation). The plates on the right side are domestic or semi trailer as indicated by the T, the red plate is a Tasmanian Interstate plate, issued before the birth of the Federal Interstate scheme. Tasmanian plates are manufactured by LicenSys in Brisbane, an Australian company.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory has never fully adopted the 1950's three letter, three number Federal scheme. From the 1950's number plates in the NT were simply five numbers these being white on a black background. [eg 12 123]
Since the 1980's NT plates have six numbers in ochre on a white background, with the slogan "Northern Territory: Outback Australia". Motorcycle plates have five numbers. There doesn't seem to be a noticeable system to plate series, as numbers of all types appear on both halves of the plate.
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Australian Capital Territory
* Previous General Series - Up to 1968, ACT Plates were issued in numerics from 1 to 99-999 in white on navy blue. From September 1968 the Yaa-nnn series commenced (in blue on reflective white) at YAB as YAA was set aside for recalls of numericals but the public pressure has lead to a backflip and the authority in charge allowed motorists to retain their existing numbers at a remake fee into blue on reflective white. By 1979 the slogan was added as "ACT - Canberra The Nation's Capital"
* Current General Series - In 1998 when the previous series was exhausted, the series moved over to Yaa-nna, and usually have sky-blue letters on a white background. The previous Feel the Power Slogan was offered but an outcry has caused it to be withdrawn and replaced by the original "ACT - Canberra The Nation's Capital" and an optional slogan is offered "ACT-Heart of the Nation".
* Motorcycle - It has been the all numeric series since the beginning of the FCT/ACT registration, starting at 1 and continues beyond 67-999 in it's current colour format - Blue on reflective white.
* Trailer - The previous series T-1 to T-99-999 was used, initially in black on yellow then it changed to blue on reflective white and finally the series stopped in 2002. The current series issued commenced at T 0001 A onwards.
*Personalised become available since January 1984 in the AA-000 to ZZ-999 block and later extended to the YAA-000 to YZZ-999 range and the current series Yaa-nna. Plates are now available with almost any combination of letters and numbers, with a very wide choice of colour combinations. They are available with customised slogans at the top and bottom of the plate.
Public transport vehicles are allocated distinctive codes:
- BUS-nnn (ACTION government buses)
- MO-n, MO-nn, and MO-nnn (other buses)
- H-n and H-nn (chauffeur-driven hire cars)
- TX-n, TX-nn, and TX-nnn (taxicabs). TX-900 and above are reserved for, and bear the legend 'Restricted Taxi', which is for the use of Taxis for the carriage of wheelchair-disabled persons.
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Commonwealth and military
Military plates are 999-999 with the first digit corresponding to the military district number:
- 2 - New South Wales
- 3 - Victoria
- 4 - Queensland
- 5 - South Australia
- 6 - Western Australia
- 7 - Tasmania
However, new plates issued to the Army are now in this format: 99-9999, where the first two digits represent the year the vehicle was registered. Eg. 05-1832.
The military district number is also the basis of the Australian Postcode numbering system.
Current Australian Army number plate format is A05 000 with this newer format beginning in 2003. The A represents "Army" with the next two digits representing the year the vehicle was first registered. The A, N, R and D series plates are allocated to Defence Commercial Vehicles.
The Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force also adopting this format with the navy doing so in 1999 and the RAAF in 2004.
NAVY plate - N00-000 RAAF plate - R00-000
Also in existence are Dept of Defence plates prefixed as D00 000, these starting in 2001.
The Commonwealth Government of Australia used the Z prefix for its government owned vehicles up until 2000 when the Commonwealth Vehicle Registry was closed.
These plates were black on white background, marked with "C of A' at the top of the plate - an abbreviation of Commonwealth of Australia and the leading Z being red to further distinguish it from other state plates.
Issuance of Z prefixed plates used for same purposes was passed onto the states after 2000. ACT plates started at ZYA-000, VIC plates started at ZED-000, QLD plates started at ZQ-0000, NSW plates started at ZZZ-000, and SA plates started at ZSA-000.
Each of the states display their state initials as seen above above the numbers instead of the old "C of A" marking.
Intererstingly the Northern Territory still uses the older format and same "C of A" markings at top of the plate.
The number plate of the Prime Minister's vehicle is C*1 (i.e. Commonwealth No. 1) with a seven-pointed Federation Star.
The Governor-General's official cars do not carry number plates, but simply depict a representation of the Crown of St Edward.
For official visits to Australia, special plates are often put over the top of normal 'Z' plates, depicting the Australian Coat of Arms and, in red 'Visit to Australia' with a numeral. These are not strictly registration plates, but are useful for police and other officials to identify cars in official motorcades.
Federal Interstate Registration Scheme
Heavy Vehicles (over 4.5Tonnes GVM) can choose to participate in FIRS. FIRS plates are cc-nncc, and are green on a reflective yellow background. FIRS plates are issued by state authorities on behalf of the Commonwealth, and carry the format as specified by the INTERSTATE ROAD TRANSPORT REGULATIONS 1986 - REG 21[3]:
The first character represents the state of issue:
- A for Australian Capital Territory
- C for Northern Territory
- N for New South Wales
- Q for Queensland
- S for South Australia
- T for Tasmania
- V for Victoria
- W for Western Australia
The second character represents the type of vehicle being registered:
- V for Vehicle (typically issued to either a prime mover or a rigid truck).
- T for Trailer (usually a Semi trailer)
- X for eXtra weight, with registrations possible up to 42 tonne.
The remaining two numbers and letters are allocated by the issuing authorities.
So a typical plate found in New South Wales could be NT-33AB which might be found on a semi-trailer, registered in NSW.
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Diplomatic
Diplomatic plates issued to foreign diplomats in Australia's national capital, Canberra, Australia are of the format DC-nnnn or DX-nnnn, where the first two numbers are the code for the home country of the diplomat, and have black text on a powder blue background. DC plates are issued to members of the Diplomatic Corps, whereas DX plates are issued to persons who are attached to diplomatic missions but are not themselves diplomats, e.g. household staff.
State registration authorities issue CC plates to Consular representatives in their relevant State capital.
Full stops are included on the plate after each of the first two letters, eg D.C.-6901, and the first two numbers appearing the plate correspond to a specific country, for example 26 is issued to the United Kingdom. The second two digits are typically issued with lower numbers to higher ranking officials, usually 01 being issued to the ambassador from that country. So D.C.-2601 would be found on the vehicle of the British High Commissioner to Australia.
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References
- Blue Mountains Family History Society.(2007) Australian number plates Springwood, N.S.W. : Blue Mountains Family History Society. ISBN 9780975678848
- Nance, Tony.(1980) Australian number plates Beaumaris, Vic. ISBN 0959447407
- Wright, D.C. (1983) Australasian (motor vehicle) registration plates, 1901-1982Montmorency, Vic. ISBN 0959498001