Road Safety Act 1986

A police officer who impounds or immobilises a motor vehicle, or who authorises another person to do so, must, as soon as is practicable and in any event within 48 hours after the motor vehicle is impounded or immobilised, notify a senior police officer of the grounds on which he or she relied in forming the belief that the motor vehicle was used in the commission of a relevant offence.

A senior police officer who is notified in accordance with subsection (1) must make inquiries into the circumstances of the impoundment or immobilisation and if, after making those inquiries, he or she is not satisfied that there were reasonable grounds to impound or immobilise the motor vehicle, must ensure that the motor vehicle is returned to the registered operator as soon as is practicable.