77,000 people have dodged $185m in fines through Work Development Orders
Up to $185 million is missing from state government coffers following the “success” of a program that has wiped the fines of more than 75,000 people.
Central Coast
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“Disadvantaged” people dodged $16.5 million in fines last financial year by signing up to work orders which had them undergo counselling or do menial community work instead.
For the first time NewsLocal can reveal how many people are getting out of fines across greater Sydney, the Central Coast, and Hunter Valley under a little-known government scheme aimed at “breaking the cycle of fines debt”.
Introduced in 2011 the Work and Development Order (WDO) scheme has waved $185 million in unpaid fines racked up by more than 77,000 people.
And most people who have got out of fines once, do so again, according to Revenue NSW data, which shows 145,000 WDOs have been issued to the 77,000 people helped by the scheme — a rate of almost two work orders to every applicant.
The scheme has proven to be a life-changer for many vulnerable people and it took out this year’s NSW Premier’s Award for Tackling Longstanding Social Challenges.
But as one former Legal Aid solicitor said “like any welfare (program) it is open for a small minority to rort the system”.
WDOs are available to people who are unable to pay a fine due to mental illness, intellectual
disability or cognitive impairment, drug or alcohol abuse, homelessness or extreme financial
hardship.
The WDO scheme is a partnership between Revenue NSW, Legal Aid NSW and the NSW
Department of Communities and Justice.
Legal Aid NSW has six WDO support teams in NSW that recruit and train sponsors in
regional and city locations.
Sponsors can be government agencies, non-government organisations such as Alcoholics Anonymous or health practitioners including psychologists.
Legal Aid support teams provide legal assistance to clients who don’t have the money to pay unpaid fines, as well as providing a statewide placement service with registered sponsors.
Joe Smith (not his real name) was drowning in debt, had lost his licence “a few times” because of fine defaults, was out of work and “sat around all day playing Xbox”.
That was until the 23-year-old heard about Top Blokes Central Coast, a WDO sponsor.
He started the organisation’s eight-week program three times but dropped out after getting a new job and paying off his fines.
However when he fell back into his old ways he stuck out the program, cleared almost $2000 in fines, and has got his life back on track.
“I have not had a fine since,” he said.
“I’ve become a better person. I’m off the drugs altogether I’ve stopped drinking as much, I’m not doing benders on the weekends. It’s inspired me to be better than I was.”
Mr Smith said he now comes home from a steady job to spend time with his “amazing” partner and the couple’s young child.
He said he would recommend the program to anyone.
“Do what I’ve done, you’ve got nothing to lose. If you’ve got problems they’ll help you but you have to want to do it,” he said.
Finance Minister Damien Tudehope said debt was a huge problem for vulnerable people, sometimes leading them to lose their driver’s licence or prevent them from getting a job.
“Debt can exacerbate already overwhelming situations and that’s why the NSW Government
has established WDOs,” he said.
“WDOs provide an innovative pathway for people to clear debt and to gain valuable skills by completing volunteer work and training courses or receiving medical treatment and counselling.”
Attorney-General Mark Speakman said the scheme empowered people to take control of their lives by providing a practical way to overcome the burden of debt.
“NSW has led the nation in delivering a potentially life-changing program for vulnerable
people who are struggling with debt, which is why WDOs were recognised at this year’s NSW Premier’s Awards,” Mr Speakman said.
TOP 10 locations for debt cleared by WDOs in 2018-19
Blacktown — 1898 WDOs issued — $3.17m debt waved
Sydney — 1599 WDOs issued — $2.59m debt waved
Liverpool — 1096 WDOs issued — $1.97m debt waved
Wollongong — 1292 WDOs issued — $1.47m debt waved
Penrith — 1073 WDOs issued — $1.37m debt waved
Randwick — 742 WDOs issued — $1.26m debt waved
Parramatta — 938 WDOs issued — $1.25m debt waved
Wyong — 915 WDOs issued — $1.2m debt waved
Cessnock — 737 WDOs issued — $1.17m debt waved
Wellington — 678 WDOs issued — $1.05m debt waved