Coronavirus:State hunts $90m from quarantine refuseniks

The NSW government is battling to recover millions in unpaid hotel quarantine fees.

A man leaving a quarantine hotel in Pyrmont. Picture: Gaye Gerard

More than 50,000 returned travellers have failed to pay for their mandatory hotel quarantine stays in Sydney, with debt collectors now chasing at least 20,000 of those to recover the money.

The NSW government is ­battling to recover more than $90m in unpaid hotel quarantine fees, as new Revenue NSW figures reveal 20,038 Debt Recovery Orders had been issued for unpaid invoices since July 2020.

Previously reported figures from February showed 5264 DROs had been issued in unpaid hotel quarantine invoices, with one in four travellers failing to pay fees by the deadline.

New figures obtained by The Australian reveal fewer than 10 per cent of all DROs issued have been paid as at June 28, as debt collectors scramble to recover 18,210 outstanding in­voices that Revenue NSW says total close to $40m.

Updated statistics show $90.6m remains unpaid in hotel quarantine fees, a figure covering 50,706 returned travellers from overseas and interstate.

While Revenue NSW confirmed $51m of that figure had yet to reach payment deadline, it was adamant it would continue to track down refuseniks who repeatedly ignored invoices, saying payment was not optional.

In order to recover payment, debt collectors from Revenue NSW have the power to extract money from bank accounts and wages, as well as seize property and cancel drivers licences following the issue of a DRO.

Earlier this year, NSW Fin­ance Minister Damien Tude­hope described hotel quarantine as a crucial safeguard in the country’s fight against the pandemic, saying Australians returning from overseas or interstate needed to contribute to the cost of keeping citizens safe. “When it comes to paying your invoice for hotel quarantine, the message is a simple one: payment of your fee is not optional … Don’t ignore it,” he said.

Simon Michalak, who entered hotel quarantine in Sydney in November after returning from Finland, has no intention of paying his quarantine fee because of a lack of money and poor treatment by hotel staff.

Teacher Simon Michalak says he will ignore hotel quarantine repayment notices, despite receiving a Debt Recovery Order in May. Photo: Supplied.

Despite receiving his first DRO in May, Mr Michalak said he would continue to ignore invoices from the NSW govern­ment. “I haven’t had anyone knock at the door yet, but I’ve had phone calls and many emails” said Mr Michalak, who resides in Whyalla, where he works as a teacher.

“When I left Finland, I was completely broke and couldn’t afford to repay the $3000 fee. But I’m refusing to pay now — like many others — because I do not believe it is my responsibility and because I feel I was mistreated and given no choice.”

Mr Michalak, 40, said he requested a fee waiver from Revenue NSW in November before he entered hotel quarantine, but received no response.

A spokesperson for Revenue NSW said there was no plan to pause quarantine fee repayments and travellers must pay their way.