Public name and shame of fine-owers no better than ‘the medieval stocks’

The public list of Tasmanians with outstanding fines has been taken offline in a surprising move, following mounting pressure from MPs. See the latest.

Barrister Greg Barns. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

THE currently-defunct public list of Tasmanians with outstanding fines, frequently referred to as the “name and shame” or “fine dodgers” list, has been slammed as no better than “the medieval stocks”.

The Monetary Penalties Enforcement Service public list, which was updated weekly with the names and addresses of people who owed fines to the state – including those with tiny fines as low as $100 – was taken offline this week.

The move came after Premier Jeremy Rockliff promised to tighten up privacy surrounding the list.

“I don’t like it, and we’ll fix it,” he said.

“I would encourage people to of course pay back their fines. I would always encourage people to pay back their fines, (but) this is not the way to do it, and we’ll fix it.”

Premier Jeremy Rockliff promised to tighten up privacy around the public list of Tasmanians with outstanding fines.

Greg Barns SC, chair of the Tasmanian Prisoners Legal Service, said the list had been a “highly discriminatory and ineffective way of getting people to pay their fines”.

“Naming and shaming people is simply another version of the medieval stocks and there is no evidence that people are more inclined to pay fines as a result of them being on that list,” he said.

“It’s no better than putting people in stocks in Franklin Square.”

He said the system should never have been introduced and was “flawed from the start”.

“Particularly in a small community, it’s highly stigmatising,” he said.

“What it does show, that list, if you look at postcodes, it’s the most disadvantaged communities that suffer.”

Greens Justice spokesperson Rosalie Woodruff said Mr Rockliff’s commitment “to improve privacy” was “warmly welcomed”.

Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff said it was vital to tighten up privacy in Tasmania.

She said Tasmania “was a different world” 18 years ago when the state’s current privacy laws and regulations were brought into being.

“The need for change highlights how the growth in the availability and spread of information are causing significant new privacy issues,” she said.

“Now identity theft, fraud, scams, personal tracking, ‘doxing’ and surveillance are a serious concern.”

Dr Woodruff called on the Tasmanian government to undertake a review of privacy legislation and regulations.

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