Cars seized from fine defaulters and sold has debts in SA hit $400 million
THE State Government is seizing and selling the cars of defiant fine debtors as it dramatically intensifies efforts to recoup the rapidly climbing total of unpaid penalties — which now amounts to more than $400 million.
THE State Government is seizing and selling the cars of defiant fine debtors as it dramatically intensifies efforts to claw back the rapidly climbing total of unpaid penalties that now amounts to more than $400 million.
The Fine Enforcement and Recovery unit has seized four vehicles in recent months to coerce debtors to cough up the cash, while another vehicle has been sold to raise money to reduce a debt.
The unit is applying further pressure by increasing the number of fine defaulters being named and shamed from 12 to 120 in the past year and is also advising their employers.
Latest figures show 330,000 outstanding fines were referred to the unit last financial year — an increase of 20,000 on the previous year.
Unit director John Ovenstone said debtors faced other “tough measures’’ including vehicle clamping and referral to a commercial debt collector.
He said the message to people who had outstanding fines referred to unit was “simple’’.
“Don’t stick your head in the sand — if you ignore your debt, it won’t go away,’’ he said.
“The best thing someone with an unpaid fine can do is contact the unit to negotiate a payment plan or some form of arrangement to manage this debt.’’
The unit has increased its average daily debt collections by 40 per cent since it opened in February 2014, and is recovering around $500,000 a day in unpaid debt.
The unit’s website shows the individual debts — typically for unpaid traffic fines — range from more than $163,000 to less than $6000.
The unit can also suspend debtors’ driver’s licences, impose Community Service Orders and deduct funds from wages and salaries to ensure debts are paid.
Mr Ovenstone said names were only added to the Public Listing after the unit “has taken appropriate action using some of these measures to recover outstanding debts’’.
“A person’s name will be removed from the list when they have either agreed to address their debts or those debts are no longer legally enforceable,’’ he said.
The total amount of outstanding fines, however, has increased from $337 million to $416 million since August last year. This includes more than $42 million in debt that was previously written off but would now be subject to recovery action if the debtor’s financial situation changed.
Almost $14 million was written off last financial year.
Although the majority of debtors named are men, the state’s biggest fine defaulter is still Beth Louise Jarvis, 22, whose debt for more than 200 unpaid traffic fines tops $167,000.
This is a $14,000 increase on her debt since advertiser.com.au revealed six months ago that she is our worst fine defaulter.
The lowest amount on the name and shame list is $5930, owed by list debutant Sarah Jane Howe, whose fines relate to drug and traffic offences.
The name and shame file, which can been seen here, has risen from 12 a year ago to 17 in February and now lists the names, ages, and debts of 120 individuals.
While seven of the serial debtors of the 17 listed six months ago have continued to rack up debt, three have unchanged debt levels and the other seven are off the list because they have agreed to address their debts.
The Government decided to name and shame the worst individual debtors in November 2014.
At the time, Attorney General John Rau said it was “unacceptable that so many people are finding ways to beat the system and not pay fines on time’’.
New name on the list of shame
■ Sarah Jane Howe has the lowest amount of unpaid fines on the name-and-shame list, with a debt less than $6000.
■ The 24-year-old Smithfield Plains resident is one of the debtors whose names have joined the list in the past six months and seen the total number of shamed expand to 120 this week.
■ Ms Howe, a former Craigmore High School student, has nine unpaid fines, comprising one owing to a council, seven to police, and a court fine.
■ According to the Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit, the penalties were “predominantly for traffic and drug-related offences’’.
■ It is understood there are only 20 women listed but they include Beth Louise Jarvis, 22, who owes $167,000 for hundreds of unpaid traffic fines, the greatest amount listed.
■ Unlike Ms Howe, Ms Jarvis was listed six months ago, with a debt of $153,000.
■ Police cannot issue arrest warrants for those who fail to pay their traffic fines, according to the Attorney-General’s office.