SA’s 20 worst fine defaulters owe $3.1 million for 3349 unpaid fines
EXCLUSIVE: SA’s 20 worst fine defaulters have racked up an astonishing 3349 unpaid fines and owe the taxpayer $3.1 million.
- Owe fines? You could lose your welfare
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- SA traffic fine road rogues revealed
- Cars seized from fine defaulters and sold
SOUTH Australia’s twenty worst fine defaulters have racked up an astonishing 3349 unpaid fines and owe the taxpayer $3.1 million.
Terrible drivers make up the bulk of the problem, prompting calls for their cars to be confiscated if 100 or more fines remain unpaid.
The individuals owe up to $339,000 as they flout road rules and parking restrictions hundreds of times each.
Figures show chronic driver failures make up 13 of the top 20 for all types of debtors, with the remainder owing debts because of business fraud.
The worst driving offender still hasn’t paid up for 427 fines against their name, totalling $339,735.
The driver known only as “client 1” has hundreds of unpaid fines for speeding, unregistered and uninsured vehicle, unlicensed driving, and other bad driving offences.
But the largest number of outstanding fines belong to a Port Lincoln driver who has 527 still to be repaid, 523 for driving offences and 512 of those for parking. In total this person, “client 12” or 12th worst in the rankings owes $133,034.
Australian Conservatives MLC Robert Brokenshire said he had asked for the information using the Freedom of Information Act to put pressure on bad debtors ripping off the taxpayer.
He said once a “very generous” threshold of 100 unpaid vehicle fines was reached the worst offenders should face confiscation of their vehicle, in the same way hoon drivers lost theirs.
“These people are using the system as a badge of honour and the systems used to make them pay up aren’t working,’’ Mr Brokenshire said.
“They know how to avoid serious penalties when they go to the court and the first thing to do would be to take their car away after they have run up a certain number of fines.
“The vast majority of people pay their fines including pensioners who can’t afford it and here the government is setting an example of how to avoid paying.”
But the welfare sector says the figures have also raised doubts about the capacity of many bad debtors to pay.
The Attorney-General’s Department statistics obtained by Mr Brokenshire show the worst 20 debtors have had their licences suspended a total of 163 times, and have had multiple community service orders.
But only one currently owns a home which can be sold to recoup the losses and attempts to garnishee bank accounts have only been possible for seven of the defaulters.
In the latest crackdown Attorney-General John Rau last month announced he would ask the federal Government to withhold welfare payments to be used to repay fines.
But in the case of the worst fine defaulter, who owes $339,735, total repayment would be the equivalent of 26 years worth of the Newstart unemployment allowance.
Uniting Communities advocacy manager Mark Henley called for an overhaul of the bad debt system which was chasing people with little no capacity to pay.
“If anyone has over 400 fines, there is a complete system failure,’’ he said.
“Mental health issues are likely to be at play here with the regular fine recipient quite possibly not aware of what they are doing.
“The fact that it would appear that there has been minimal personal follow-up of the person about their wellbeing is of major concern.’’
Mr Henley said the welfare sector was lobbying for fines to become proportional to a person’s income.
“In this way a relatively minor fine does not end up becoming a disproportionate burden for a low income person,’’ he said.
“There are many reasons why people default regularly on paying fines, some people just can’t pay, others are playing the game by trying to avoid fines that they know they have occurred.’’
South Australian Council of Social Service CEO Ross Womersley said the figures made the fine recovery system look “absurd” and people with no capacity to pay were being pursued with no chance of an outcome.
“Essentially we end up criminalising the person and it inevitably results in even more costly outcomes like imprisonment,’’ he said.
Rogues’ gallery of fine fiends
$339,735 owing, resident of Burton, unpaid driving fines totalling 426.
$327,196: Hackham, 412 driving offences.
$180,939: Paralowie, 244 driving offences.
$153,144: Adelaide, 17 fines with 11 for building work offences and six for driving offences.
$150,854: Glenelg, 286 fines with 256 for liquor offences.
$148,416: Aberfoyle Park, two fines for fraud.
$134,830: Andrews Farm,181 fines and 176 for driving.
$133,304: Port Wakefield, three fines for unknown offences.
$133,182: Paralowie, two for driving and two for breaches of food hygiene standards.
$133,046: Pooraka, 181 fines, 164 for driving offences.
$133,034: Port Lincoln, 527 fines, driving and parking.
$129,565: Paralowie, one fine for damaging property.
$127,870: Keswick, a total of 208 fines, 199 for driving offences.
$127,666: Andrews Farm, of 230 fines outstanding, 97 for driving offences.
$127,626: Elizabeth, five fines for court costs.
$125,822: St Peters, 173 fines all for driving penalties.
$125,820: Whyalla, one fine relating to considerable damage to property.
$120,595: Magill, seven fines dishonest dealings and four driving offences.
$120,232: Wingfield, 223 fines all for driving offences.
Overall total: $3,138,891
Of the 3349 unpaid fines, 2709 for driving and parking-related offences.
Source: State Government’s Treasury Department.