Page 1252 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019
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aware of the tragic death of Ms Dhu. I believe she was incarcerated purely because of an inability to pay fines. This should not happen.
I must acknowledge former Greens MLA Amanda Bresnan for introducing the legislation for both of these options during the Seventh Assembly. That legislation allowed for regulations to prescribe further concessions which allow automatic eligibility for payment by instalment, and for the administering authority to request further information from an applicant to assist decisions on whether to grant the option of payment by instalment or to discharge a penalty by community work or social work development program. Both are a good start and are helpful for many people.
The motion before us today extends these options for those who are doing it tough and experiencing financial hardship. Introducing incremental payment options is an obvious step that we should take. I note that the ACT government already provides an option to pay vehicle registration fees quarterly. It is my hope that this motion will result in more flexible and frequent payment options being available, possibly monthly or fortnightly.
As I have said before in this chamber, it is not just the immediate financial impact of a fine on someone who is struggling financially. Fines can lead to a negative cycle with long-term consequences for the whole family. I am aware of a number of constituents who are on various Centrelink payments who have been hit with large fines—and in a number of cases the fines have been, in their opinion, incorrectly administered—finding it very burdensome to correct the situation and to pay off the fine if necessary.
Last year 12 per cent of traffic fines were not paid on time, but a staggering 87 per cent of people charged with driving an unregistered vehicle did not pay their fines on time. This suggests that what is going on is that the people who cannot afford to pay for their rego, and therefore have not, are then hit with a fine that they also will not be able to pay. It is getting worse and worse for these people, and not better for the ACT community in any way. A more flexible system for payment or waiver of traffic infringement fines and vehicle registrations will allow people on low incomes to do the right thing and pay off their fines and ensure that they have a registered and insured vehicle so that they can retain a connection to the labour market and/or the broader community.
If we introduce better instalment payments, particularly for regos and third-party insurance, it is important that these themselves are not significantly more expensive—so that the situation is not that if you have the money you can choose to pay annually and you are ahead, but if you do not have the money and you pay monthly the processing fees are such that effectively it becomes a tax on being poor. I sincerely hope that any improvements that are made to this bear that issue in mind.
The current status quo unfairly impacts on those who already struggle, such as those with a mental illness, those escaping family violence, those who are struggling to make new lives for themselves, the unemployed, and older people on fixed incomes. The Greens support this motion today, especially since it reflects a key aspect of the Greens’ policy, which is about making a real and positive difference to people’s lives.
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