What can we do about a bureaucracy that has developed such an elevated opinion of its role that it puts itself above our courts?
As many people will know, the RTA is one such bureaucracy.
The most blatant instances I've encountered of this disregard for justice or a fair go derive from its practice of effectively over-ruling a court's decision to dismiss a traffic booking.
The court may find that the booking was unfair or that special circumstances warrant leniency, in which case the magistrate will find the case proved but dismiss it under Section 10 of the Crimes Act. As part of that he'll dismiss the penalty.
BUT as a matter of course the RTA doesn't accept the court's ruling, and as what appears to be vindictiveness it refuses to let the demerit points go the way of the fine. The court let you off, it says, but we're taking your licence!
In a case reported in The Herald on Saturday, Newcastle Local Court magistrate James Swanson had this to say in dismissing a traffic case because of mitigating circumstances: "You can come to court and get justice, but you can't get justice with the RTA." Mr Swanson warned that the RTA would use the demerit points of the dismissed booking to disqualify the driver. NSW's Chief Magistrate has also attacked this RTA practice.
In my column today I write of two other cases, involving my son and a young woman, both new drivers who went to court a second time to defeat the RTA's bloody-mindedness.
But what can we do for justice, for a fair go, without going back to court?
We can't vote against the RTA but we can vote against the government that fails to rein in its excesses, that fails to protect us from a bureaucracy that puts itself above the referee.
Has the RTA's arrogance reached such a stage that we should retaliate on state election day?