Why $3.2million in unpaid Covid fines could soon be abolished one Aussie state
A state MP has joined growing calls for the Queensland Government to scrap millions in unpaid fines imposed during Covid and refund those who paid the offence.
The state’s Penalties Enforcement Registry is chasing a debt of as much as $3.2 million from 2,075 outstanding Covid-19 breach notices dating back to the start of the pandemic almost five years ago.
It comes after the New South Wales Commissioner of Fines Administration announced last month that the government would cancel outstanding Covid-19 related fines, following ‘legal representations’.
Katter’s Australian Party deputy leader Nick Dametto said the Queensland government should follow suit as an act of goodwill to the state.
“It’s interesting that there’s a lot of literature and research coming back about the way the pandemic has been handled, and there’s a lot of red flags saying things could have been better,” he told the paper. Courier mail.
“There have been thousands of fines issued across Queensland and if the government wants to right some of the wrongs of that period – when the government was in control – then refunding some of those fines could be a good place to start.”
He claimed shady reporting was to blame for crimes committed under the former Labor government led by then Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“The Prime Minister was due to give her speech around 10am, and it would take hours for departments to understand what was said in the press conferences… it caused intense confusion,” Mr Dametto added.
An MP has called for Queenslanders affected by Covid-19 to be cleared of outstanding fines. In the photo, police patrol a border checkpoint during the pandemic
A spokesperson for the State Penalties Enforcement Registry told the publication that it could not rescind the fines because it was a government matter.
New Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki also declined to become involved in the case.
“SPER is managing that process and has not provided any advice regarding these issues,” he said.
Under Queensland’s pandemic laws, anyone breaching a public health order was hit with an on-the-spot fine of $1,378, while businesses were penalized up to $7,100.
There are also calls for refunds from Queenslanders who have paid their Covid fines (stock image)
Officials handed out fines for a range of violations, from violating border and travel restrictions to holding gatherings and not wearing masks.
More than 23,500 penalty notices remained unpaid when NSW recently announced that its outstanding invoices would be withdrawn.
About $5.5 million will go to those who have already paid or partially paid their fines.
It came after lawyers for Maurice Blackburn notified the NSW government of its plans to file a class action over the remaining sentences after a raft of them were pardoned in 2022.
They claimed the fines were wrongly imposed because they failed the “bare minimum” test set out in a 2022 Supreme Court ruling.
The ruling ruled that fines are invalid if they do not contain sufficient detail about the relevant law and provisions relating to the offence, the Redfern Legal Center said.
The state has withdrawn approximately 36,000 penalty notices in 2022, totaling $15 million.
Nick Dametto (centre) said the Queensland Government should cancel outstanding Covid fines as an act of good faith to the public