Caboolture $31m in debut to SPER as some residents are not paying for their crime

SOME residents in one of Queensland’s fast-growing regions are happy to do the crime, but not pay the fine.

Some residents in the Caboolture region are doing the crime but not paying the fine - which collectively now adds up to $31 million.

SOME Caboolture region residents are happy to do the crime, but not to pay the fine.

The region is currently $31 million in debt to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) - but does not top the Moreton Bay region list.

SPER is responsible for collecting unpaid fines and court-ordered penalties including fines for speeding, drink driving, unpaid tolls and driving an unregistered vehicle.

As of December last year, 15,828 residents owed more than $31,843,000 to the debt collecting agency - only 2.65 per cent of the $1.2 billion total bill racked up by Queenslanders.

This was the second biggest sum owed in the Moreton region with Redcliffe Peninsula residents ranking as the region’s worst with $50,584,000 of debt.

State LNP leader Deb Frecklington called on the Labor government to claw back the state’s massive debt in unpaid fines.

“These fines were issued for doing the wrong thing and this money is owed to taxpayers,” she said.

Office of State Revenue commissioner Elizabeth Goli said the Queensland Government introduced legislation last year to change the way SPER operated.

“The changes make it easier to recover debts, simpler for people to pay and fairer for people experiencing hardship,” she said.

“SPER has also successfully introduced new initiatives in recent years, like wheel clamping and seizing cars to recover large debts, and our outbound call campaigns to remind people of the consequences of not paying their debts.

“And our approach is working. Last financial year, SPER achieved a debt finalisation rate of 94 per cent; the difference between what’s referred to SPER and what’s collected.

“This compares to a long-term average of 65 per cent, which is also the rate achieved in 2015-16, so we’ve seen a marked improvement.”

The Queensland Audit Office report into ‘Finalising unpaid fines’ found that the Queensland Police Service, Traffic Camera Office and the Department of Transport and Main Roads do not consider proactive follow up of fines to be their responsibility.

Postcodes/offenders/total fines

4504: 1591 owe $2,874,000

4505: 1953 owe $3,774,000

4506: 3,423 owe $6,427,000

4510: 8, 239 owe $17,420,000

4512: 286 owe $503, 000

4516: 336 owe $845,000