Government facing $150m blowout in overdue fines, says Power

The Government is facing a potential $150 million blowout in the amount of overdue fines owed, and must expand the powers of the judiciary to deal with it, says National law and order spokesman Simon Power.

"The Government crows about its empathy to victims of crime, yet it's doing nothing. It's writing off reparations owed to those people," he said.

Mr Power yesterday released figures showing $32 million in unpaid fines, and $982,000 in reparation, had been written off in the first nine months of the 2005-2006 financial year.

Those figures would likely total $42.6 million and $1.3 million for the entire financial year, which finished on June 30.

Those figures will be out about September.

And the Government is also facing a $150 million blowout in the proportion of fines that are overdue, he said.

Just over $370 million, 54 per cent of total fines owing, were overdue by the end of March.

Overdue reparations that totalled $27 million at the end of March, could top $36 million when the figures for the 2005-2006 financial year are available, Mr Power said.

"The worst thing about the record amounts of reparation being written off and overdue is that it is the victims of crime who will suffer because of this Government's inability to ensure people pay for their crimes.

"The trend is that the system is failing and you can see that over the past five years."

Mr Power said though per cent figures showed the amount under payment arrangement to be up, there was no indication whether money was actually being repaid.

However, Courts Minister Rick Barker last night said the figures showed "that we are more successful at getting fines in than we have ever been.

"On every measure, we have been more successful."

Mr Barker rejected Mr Power's allegations, claiming the court system had numerous methods - including the confiscation of cars and property - to collect money owed.

Other measures, such as "name and shame" campaigns had also been successful, he said. "Anything that can practically be done, is being done."

Mr Barker said much of the overdue fines total was from infringement notices issued by groups such as local authorities, but passed on to the courts once the authority had failed to collect the money itself. "If [Mr Power] thinks there are other things that can be done, I would be interested to hear them."

Mr Barker said the court system had "no control" over the amount of fines issued, and in the case of infringement fines, a number were "uncollectable" due to faulty information taken when they were issued.