Major change coming to parking fines in NSW

A major Australian state has imposed a ban on ‘unfair’ parking fines without tickets.

NSW has passed laws stating that all fines imposed by inspectors must be paid on the spot with a ticket in the vehicle and a photograph taken of the offense unless it is unsafe to do so.

The aim is to put an end to the fact that motorists sometimes only hear about the fine by post weeks after it has been issued.

NSW Finance Minister Courtney Houssos said community feedback was clear on the measure and it was fairer and more transparent to return to penalty-only fines.

‘Nobody likes getting a parking ticket. When I hear about it two weeks later, it hurts even more,” she said.

“Reducing on-the-spot reporting of parking fines is common sense reform and restores the fairness and integrity of the parking fine system.

‘I would like to thank the municipalities that have already started sending on-site notifications again.

‘There is nothing stopping other councils from joining them. It is clearly in the best interests of the drivers and the community.”

Motoring group NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said fines without tickets had “deprived motorists”.

“Tickless parking leaves motorists in the dark and deprives them of the opportunity to challenge their fine if they believe they have a legitimate case,” Khoury said.

‘The NRMA has been against this approach from day one.’

The new laws also mean motorists cannot face repeated fines, with motorists being fined multiple times because they are unaware of the original offence.

On-the-spot tickets mean that drivers often don’t learn about fines until weeks after they have been issued

Ticketless parking fines were introduced in 2020 under former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, with more than a third of the state’s 128 councils reportedly passing the measure.

NSW councils issued more than 820,000 ticketless parking fines last financial year, an increase of almost 50 per cent on the year.

They generated $155 million for local governments.