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A top Sydney barrister has
got into a legal battle of his own with Transport NSW over the cheeky number
plates on his yellow Lamborghini. The “offensive” number plate on
his bright yellow Lamborghini, which reads: “LGOPNR”.
Peter Lavac said most
people would never connect the dots and realise his number plate was cheekily
saying “leg opener”.
But at least one person did, in fact, connect those dots, and
soon Transport NSW was calling for his plates to be removed.
“Tough s***,” Mr Lavac unapologetically told The Sunday Telegraph.
Transport NSW gave him 18
days to change his number plate, writing in a letter -Transport for NSW
determined that these number plates could be considered offensive and must be
returned.
From Palm Beach
in Sydney’s northern beaches, Mr Lavac fought for his right to keep the number
plate and challenged the letter in his local court on September 1.
He argued it was a free speech issue.
“I resent anyone who’s
trying to violate my freedom of speech and expression,” the former Hong Kong
crown prosecutor said.”
“They (the
number plates) are meant to be humorous, tongue-in-cheek, funny and
entertaining.”
“That is how most people
find them when it’s explained to them.”
“But how could you
possibly construe recreational sex between two consenting adults as ever being
offensive or demeaning in any way, shape or form?
“How many other
little Aussie battlers who have similar bullying letters, have caved in and
laid down and let (Transport NSW) walk all over them because they didn‘t have
my resources or legal expertise to stand up to this and challenge them?”
In the end, Transport NSW
backed down, which Mr Lavac believed was because they used an outdated section
of the law.
Transport NSW safety,
environment and regulation deputy secretary Tara McCarthy said that the
department relies a lot on members of the public to report offensive plates, as
many controversial number plates slip through the vetting process.
“If a member of the public finds a plate offensive, they can report it to Transport for NSW which will investigate and the plate may then be recalled,” she said