Part 3: Queensland registration history - making it personal

This is part 3 of three blogs that outline the history of motor vehicle registration in Queensland. They are based on an essay written by historian Judith Nissen, tracing the history and evolution of motor vehicle registrations in Queensland, including number plates and personalised plates. 

References and bibliography are provided at the end of this post. 

Personalising the ride 

Standardising the size of number plates offered vehicle manufacturers the opportunity to market accessories such as number plate frames. In 1959 manufacturers were marketing accessories at the point of sale, such as General Motors Holden’s “ornamental frames” for number plates.⁷⁸

Sort of personalised 

In 1976 Main Roads Department dropped charges for replacing number plates.⁷⁹ Those "in the know” (for example, Main Roads staff) worked out how to obtain a “personalised” registration number that suited them. Those who could find out which run of registration numbers were now on issue would apply for a replacement plate at the appropriate office, claiming theirs had been damaged, or some such. They would then receive a plate with their desired set of letters (specific numerals were a bit more difficult to organise). Voila – a “personalised plate” at no cost!⁸⁰

Personalisation would reach ever-increasing variations with the introduction of the personalised plates scheme. 

A Cabinet meeting in January 1977 favoured, in principle, the introduction of personalised plates, as was already in place in New South Wales and Victoria. Queensland’s registration administration was being transformed from machine cards to an online system at that time, so the question of introducing personalised plates, and the resulting impost in terms of system changes and staffing, was deferred for a year.⁸¹ 

The initial decision was that the plates feature three letters and three numerals, separated by a symbol of “Sunshine Sam”. This format posed two problems – the three-letter-three-digit format was too close in time to the older numbering system, and therefore only cancelled numbers could be made available. The elaborate control system needed to ensure that registration plates were not duplicated would be an administrative headache. Further, the computer system could not recognise symbols, so, sadly, “Sunshine Sam” was sacked. 

In August 1978 Cabinet decided that the first personalised plates would follow the format of three letters followed by two numerals.⁸² 

Personalised Plates 

Queensland’s first personalised plates were available from 2 April 1979 at a cost of $100 (about $625 in 2025). By 1985 more than 18,000 plates in this style had been issued.⁸³ 

The change in format from the originally proposed six digits to five must have allowed the addition of the map, in terms of space, as well as not needing the computer system to recognise the symbol. The logo read “Queensland – Sunshine State”. Pictured below, “Minster for Everything” Russell (“Russ”) Hinze receives his personalised plate, the first such issued. Larger than life Russ Hinze served as the member for South Coast from 1966 to 1988, and among his very many portfolios, as Minister for Main Roads from 1974 to 1987.⁸⁴

The Main Roads Department promoted the sale of personalised plates via various means, including at the 1987 Royal National Association exhibition (the “Ekka”). Children nominated a parent or other adult to go into the draw for one of six sets of personalised plates, as well as a pair of Prestige Plates. Minister Russ Hinze presented these winners with their new standard-design personalised plates.⁸⁵

The Great Queensland Plate Auction 

In April 1985 Cabinet approved a major extension of the personalised plates scheme. “Traditional” and “Prestige” plates would be made available, commencing with a public auction of select plates, with the profits going to the Mount Cotton Driver Training Centre.⁸⁶ 

Auction companies bid for the job which was awarded to Ronald McConnell Holdings (“Macs Auctions”). The planning for the sale of 150 plates was meticulous – the date chosen was the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. It coincided with the Winter Racing Carnival, which was thought to auger well for a large and diverse attendance. Brisbane City Hall was chosen as the venue, although this was later changed to the Sheraton Hotel. 

Cabinet approved four additional formats for the personalised plate lineup – one Traditional, and three Prestige. Buyers could sell the plates, but at every sale, a transfer fee ranging from $50 to $1000 would be payable to Main Roads.⁸⁷ 

The designs approved by Cabinet were: 

Advertised as a “once in a lifetime event, not to be missed” which offered opportunities for the “astute investor and enthusiast alike”, the “great Queensland number plate auction” eventually offered 175 number plates; all sold.⁸⁸ 

The catalogue for the great auction, held on 9 June 1985, details the original owner of the plate, vehicle make and model, as well as year registered. State Library's copy has been annotated with sale prices achieved for each plate.⁸⁹

In addition to plates Q1 to Q100 on offer, a number of other formats were auctioned. These included Prestige Plates denoting motor vehicle makes (e.g. BENZ-1, selling for $22,000), and Q plates with numerals corresponding to car make model numbers (for example eight Mercedes Benz-related numbers, sold as one lot for $40,000). The amounts paid at auction ranged from a (relatively modest) $1700 paid for Q912 (a Porsche model number), to an eyewatering $100,000 for Q1, bought by prominent Brisbane hairdressing mogul Stefan Ackerie. Other Q plates had four numerals corresponding to years important in Queensland’s European history; others included three or six numerals.⁹⁰

A second auction was quickly organised, the profits again benefitting the Mount Cotton Driver Training Centre. 

Ronald McConnell Holdings would again conduct the auction, at the Sheraton Hotel on 1 September 1985, to be billed as “The Great Celebrity Plate Auction”. A number of local celebrities would be used to promote the auction before and at the event. This time the public could enter a competition for the design of “novel Prestige number plate formats”, with prizes to be awarded for the most novel number plate, and the most popular.⁹¹

Cabinet approved a new series of plate formats for the second great number plate auction.⁹²

This second auction was also judged a success, and Main Roads Department followed this up with an ongoing availability of unissued plates in the Traditional ‘Q’ format. Many people had requested issue of Q number plate with a “personal sentimental meaning”. In November 1985, Cabinet approved such sales, but with a cut-off date of 30 June 1986. Those holding original Q plates could also swap them for new Q plates with the associated right to trade the plates. The conversion fee would be $250. 

Prestige plates were also in continuing demand, including from companies wishing to equip their vehicle fleets with this style of plate. A sliding scale of discounts, at 2% per plate (up to 50% total discount) was put in place for the plates which would cost $1500 per set. 

Regular personalised plates in the three-letter-two-numeral format continued to be sold, despite the 1979 price doubling to $200 per set. These moves were partly in response to the increased funding needs of the Mount Cotton Driver Training Centre.⁹⁴

Additional colours and graphics would be the next innovation in 1993, with depictions of the Great Barrier Reef, Tropical Queensland and the Outback.⁹⁵

In March 1993 the Department of Transport entered into a joint venture with James Power Enterprises Pty Ltd, trading as Personalised Plates Holdings Pty Ltd (PPH), to run the personalised plates scheme on behalf of government, including marketing and selling plates. The Department held 50% of the voting rights and received a minimum return plus a percentage of the operating profits.⁹⁶

Between 1999 and 2010 PPH held nine auctions, all focusing on the sale of rare and limited plates which were in high demand. In a strategy similar to the first two plate auctions, the timing was chosen to coincide with events which drew large crowds to the city (such as the Brisbane International Motor Show). New plate designs were also unveiled at the events, with attendees given first choice to purchase these. The last auction was held on 24 March 2010 at the Victoria Park Golf Complex.⁹⁷

In December 2007 it was announced that Power Industries subsidiary My Plates Inc. was the successful bidder for the sale and marketing of Personalised Plates in Texas, USA. Chairman James Power attributed his company’s success to the history of the PPH-Government relationship.⁹⁸  

In addition to the major auctions, seven-character plates were developed. As a test, one plate was issued in 1999 – “FERRARI”, which sold for $85,000. From 2007 to 2010 limited releases of these plates were made available for a short time each year. A general release was made in 2012.⁹⁹ The management of the PPQ scheme by PPH ceased in March 2013.¹⁰⁰

The best-selling collector plates auctioned from 1999 to 2010 are pictured below.¹⁰¹

After the arrangement with PPH lapsed, Publicis Red Lion owned by multinational communications company Publicis, took over the sales, marketing and customer service for Personalised Plates Queensland (PPQ) from 23 March 2013.¹⁰²

The array of plate designs continued to be developed until reaching 250 designs available by 2014. Further developments over the next decade added plates featuring more colour options and background designs, emojis, business and community group branding, and elongated “Euro” style plates.¹⁰³

Queenslanders are thought to own more Personalised Plates per capita than any other state or territory. While the reason for their huge popularity in the Sunshine State remains unclear, it certainly demonstrates our deep love of cars and car customisation, alongside an often irreverent sense of humour. Proceeds from the sale of these plates still go towards road safety initiatives. 

Timeline of the history of motor vehicle registration plates in Queensland 

Statistics 

Numbers of registered vehicles have been gathered from various sources, not always comparable. Until centralised registration was instituted with the introduction of the Main Roads Act, so many authorities across the State were registering vehicles that it is unlikely any government or private organisation had accurate figures. 

Dates of data collection are not known, and it is not always clear what vehicles were counted (e.g. motor vehicles may have just meant cars, or at other times may have included all motorised transport apart from motor cycles). Nonetheless, the figures tallied below show the inexorable rise in the numbers of vehicles registered in Queensland over a period of a century or more. 

Main Roads Commission/Department Annual Reports 1922 to 1965 yield further breakdowns of registration numbers, including the numbers of new and cancelled registrations in that year. Note that for some years Main Roads classified all vehicles (except motor cycles) with pneumatic tyres as cars; “trucks” were only those vehicles with one or more solid rubber tyre. 

Statistics published in the MRD 1960 Annual Report showed a decrease in “persons per vehicle” from 55.8 in 1922, to an estimated 3.7 in 1960. By 1970 the estimated ratio was one vehicle for every 2.6 persons. 

Appendices 

Sources 

Brennan, Frank, Too Much Order with Too Little Law, UQ Press, 1983 

Coleman, Donald, A Guide to Queensland Number Plates, The author, 1985 

Diamond, Marion, From Bulldust to Beef Roads Main Roads – The First 50 Years, The Department, 199? 

Knight, A. Hardman, List of Motor Owners in Queensland, 1923 

Main Roads Commission/Department, Annual Reports, select years 1922-1965 

Main Roads Department, Queensland Roads, select years 1962-1988 

Main Roads Department, The Road Builders, 1985-1989 

McIntyre, Darryl, Marks, Alexander Hammett (1880–1954), Australian Dictionary of Biography, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/marks-alexander-hammett-7485/text13045 

Newspapers as per footnotes 

Patrick, Ross, Marks, Charles Ferdinand (1852–1941), Australian Dictionary of Biography, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/marks-charles-ferdinand-7486/text13047 

Personalised Plates Queensland – information received 

Queensland Cabinet Minutes and Decisions as per footnotes (held Queensland State Archives) 

Queensland Government Gazettes, as per footnotes 

Queensland Post Office Directory 

QSA ITM87752 Kilcoy Police Station, Memoranda and correspondence … motor vehicle registration, 9 December 1914-29 September 1927 

QSA ITM 367310 Police Department, Administration file, 1933-1975 

QSA ITM532268 DR133577 Kilcoy Police Station, Register: Motor Vehicle Registration, 1921-1922 

Reid, Sue, “Queensland Number Plates”, Queensland Family Historian, vol. 32 no. 2, May 2011, pp. 46-47 

Reserve Bank of Australia, Pre-Decimal Inflation Calculator, http://www.rba.gov.au/calculator/calc.go 

Ronald McConnell Holdings, The Great Queensland Plate Auction, 1985 

State Library of Queensland image collection: 

• Digitised images and documents as listed
• Copy Photo Collection (“CPC”) for vehicles of various types and eras, service stations, motor accidents, RACQ, and more. 

State Library of Queensland blog article, New acquisition – List of Motor Owners in Queensland (https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/new-acquisition-list-motor-owners-queensland) 

Wright, D.C., Australasian (Motor Vehicle) Registration Plates, The author, 1983 

Measures and currency conversions 

Major difficulties arise when attempting to compare data from different years, particularly financial. Thus, monetary figures should be regarded with some suspicion; where they have been quoted in this history the purpose has been to indicate trends, rather than to provide strict statistical accuracy. 

Monetary 

In 1966 Australia converted to decimal currency. Artificial (and misleading) conversions at 1966 rates (i.e. $2 for every pound) have been avoided because of vast changes in purchasing power over many decades. Values from c. 1901 onwards have been converted to current values using an inflation calculator provided by the Reserve Bank of Australia.¹⁰⁶ The recognised symbols and units of imperial currency are: 

£1 = 1 pound (in 1966 £1 = $2) 

1/- = 1s = 1 shilling (in 1966 1/- = 10c) 

1d = 1 penny (in 1966 1d = 1.2c) 

1 gn = 1 guinea = £1/1/- 

Weights and measures 

The conversion rates and common abbreviations for units of measurement are: 

Our exhibition, Driven: every car has a story will be on show at State Library of Queensland until 8 February 2026.

More reading: 

• Part 1: Queensland registration history – early cars cause confusion
• Part 2: Queensland registration history - from Q plates to new plates
   

Footnotes

78. Letter GMH to Main Roads Department, 17 February 1959 in QSA ITM 367310 Police Department, Administration file, 1933-1975.
79. “Issue & Replacement of Number Plates”, Qld Cabinet Minute (Decision no. 50857), 2 March 1987, QSA DR43669. Replacement fees were reinstated in 1987.
80. J. Nissen, Recollection as a former Main Roads employee.
81. “New Style & Personalised Number Plates”, Qld Cabinet Minute (Decision no. 25792), 25 January 1977, QSA DR45516.
82. “Personalized [sic] Number Plates”, Qld Cabinet Minute (Decision no. 28916), 7 August 1978, QSA DR3363
83. “Personalised Number Plates”, Qld Cabinet Minute (Decision no. 30198), 19 March 1979 QSA DR42697; Ronald McConnell Holdings, The Great Queensland Plate Auction, 1985, n.p.
84. E.A. Rigby, Former Manager, Registration Branch Main Roads Department, “History of Motor Vehicle Registration”, Queensland Roads, vol. 22 no. 43, June 1983, p. 2; Qld Parliament Former Members Register, Former Member Details | Queensland Parliament; Brian F. Stevenson, “Hinze, Russell James (Russ)”, Australian Dictionary of Biography, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hinze-russell-james-russ-15165/text26353; Donald Coleman, A Guide to Queensland Number Plates, The author, 1985, p. 11.
85. “RNA Number Plate Competition”, Road Builders, December 1987, p. 39.
86. “Extension of Personalised Number Plate Scheme …”, Qld Cabinet Minute (Decision no. 45804), 16 April 1985, QSA DR 30372.
87. “Extension of Personalised Number Plate Scheme …”, Qld Cabinet Minutes (Decision nos 45804 & 46074), 16 April & 21 May 1985, QSA DR 30372 & DR31354.
88. Ronald McConnell Holdings, The Great Queensland Plate Auction, 1985, n.p.
89. Ronald McConnell Holdings, The Great Queensland Plate Auction, 1985, held by State Library of Queensland, https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/tqqf2h/alma997839704702061.
90. PPQ, “Q Plates – The Legacy” blog post, https://www.ppq.com.au/blog/q-plates-the-legacy; Ronald McConnell Holdings, The Great Queensland Plate Auction, 1985, n.p. Forty years later, these dollar amounts should be multiplied by approximately 3.7 to understand the figures in current terms. At least one website (https://www.qplate.com.au/) shows some resale prices, and photographs of many plates on vehicles.
91. “Personalised Number Plate Scheme … Second Auction Sale”, Qld Cabinet Minute (Decision no. 46555), 16 July 1985, QSA DR30699. Image: The Great Celebrity Plate Auction Numberplates.com.au, accessed 6 November 2025.
92. “Personalised Number Plate Scheme … Second Auction Sale”, Qld Cabinet Minute (Decision no. 46555), 16 July 1985, QSA DR30699.
93. Image: The Great Celebrity Plate Auction - Numberplates.com.au, accessed 6 November 2025.
94. “Future Sales of Traditional, Prestige and Personalised Plates”, Qld Cabinet Minute (Decision no. 47503), 18 November 1985, QSA DR31935; “Expanded Personalised Plates”, Qld Cabinet Minute (Decision no. 47837), 14 January 1986, QSA DR39747.
95. PPQ - Personalised Plates History (archived site 2014).
96. Department of Transport & Main Roads, Annual Report, 2010-2011, vol. 2, pp. 20, 64.
97. Information from PPQ.
98. “Texans to get Smart State Personalised Plates”, Queensland Government Media Release, 18 December 2007, Texans to get Smart State Personalised Plates - Ministerial Media Statements.
99. Information from PPQ.
100. Queensland Treasurer, Report on State Finances, 2013-2014, p. 6-43
101. Information from PPQ.
102. “Publicis Mojo Brisbane Wins Qld Government Contract for Operation of Personalised Plates Qld”, Campaign Brief website, 11 February 2013, Publicis Mojo Brisbane wins QLD Government contract for operation of Personalised Plates QLD – Campaign Brief, accessed 6 November 2025.
103. PPQ - Personalised Plates History (archived site 2014); Personalised Plates Queensland website, Personalised Plates Queensland | Product Range, accessed 27 November 2025.