COVID-19 Fines in Victoria Totalled $100 Million: Attorney-General

Police patrol the quiet streets of Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 4, 2021. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Victorians are being warned not to ignore $100 million (US$67 million) of COVID-19 fines issued by authorities during the pandemic years.

In a state Budget Estimates hearing, Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes revealed that 50,150 fines were issued, but only 5,500 were paid (in full or in part).

Another 14,319 fines were unpaid and have passed their due date, leading to enforcement warrants being issued.

While 3,716 individuals chose to challenge their fines in court, another 11,800 had theirs cancelled.

With 20 percent of fines being withdrawn, Symes said Victorians could not risk ignoring current fines.

“Fines don’t go away unless you take action for them,” she told the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee.

“There is a variety of ways that you can seek to engage with the department to deal with your fines, whether it’s through payment plans or whether people have got grounds to have them withdrawn.”

Melbourne in Victoria was subjected to one of the longest lockdown periods in the world over the pandemic years, enduring over 262 days under tough government restrictions.

Protesters march against lockdowns, in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug. 21, 2021. Getty Images

In turn, mass protests would flare up during that timeframe against measures such as lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

Victoria’s police chief commissioner, Shane Patton, would later announce initiatives to strengthen the relationship between police and the community.

“The global pandemic took up a lot of our focus over the last two years,” Patton said. “It’s time to reset and reconnect with the community.”

Study Says Community-Police Relations Damaged

Meanwhile, research from the University of New South Wales concluded that issuing fines for “behaviours that would never” have previously attracted police attention damaged relations between law enforcement and the community.

“The biggest lesson we can learn is that we should be very careful about imposing big fines as a mechanism of registering a need for compliance in the community. Fines are not simple, and it’s not just a slap on the wrist,” said Prof. Luke McNamara.

Police detain a man in Sydney, following calls for an protest rally amid the COVID-19 pandemic, on Sept. 18, 2021. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

New South Wales authorities issued $45.9 million in fines between July and Sep. 2021—during Sydney’s toughest lockdown period—for alleged breaches of ministerial orders made under the Public Health Act 2010.

Yet in 2022, the state government was forced to overturn 33,000 fines after a court ruling found the penalties were improperly imposed with the offences not outlined clearly or specified.

“I am withdrawing all the fines related to those particular offences … and get a refund back to those people as quickly as possible,” said Revenue NSW’s Fines Commissioner Scott Johnson in comments to reporters.

Around 29,000 fines remain.

3,000 COVID-19 Fines Handed to Children in NSW

This comes after it was revealed that 3,000 Australian kids aged between 10 to 17 were slapped with AU$2.1 million (US$1.5 million) in fines between July  2020 and December 2021, according to data from New South Wales (NSW) Police in Australia’s most populous state.

The data obtained under information laws by the Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) found 2,920 fines were issued, with around 59 percent of fines costing between $1,000 to $5,000.

Around 17 children were issued with a $5,000 fine, 39 with a $3,000 fine, and 1,659 with $1,000 fine.

A police officer speaks to a member of the public as part on public health order compliance operations at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 15, 2021. Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Under the now rescinded state public health orders, fines were issued for breaches of previous COVID-19 health regulations, including not wearing a mask, breaking curfew, and straying from the allowed five-kilometre radius of the home.

“The issuing of a penalty notice should be a measure of last resort, especially where children are concerned,” Samantha Lee, the Redfern Legal Centre’s police accountability solicitor, said in a press release at the time.

In terms of age groups, 19 to 29-year-olds were the most likely to attract a fine with 21,538 infringements, followed by the 30 to 39 age group (12,279), 40 to 49 (8,900), 50 to 59 (4,740), and under 18s (3,095).