How to make your fines disappear

Fines suck, so avoid getting them. But if it’s too late for that, then you have a few options for getting the debt monkeys off your back.

If you’re too slow sorting your fines out, you risk getting slapped with a late payment, interest and enforcement charges. So you’ll basically add more and more debt on top of the original fine.

So whatever you do, make sure you look at your payment options before the due date on the top of the fine. There are basically three avenues for you, each with multiple choose-your-own adventure storylines.

Contesting the fine

If you reckon you’ve been stitched up, you may want to contest it. Actually, scratch that, you definitely want to contest it.

Details of how to fight for your rights will be on the notice itself. Depending on where you did the deed, you’ll generally be dealing with one of these places:

Australian Capital Territory – ACT Policing – Fines
New South Wales – NSW Revenue – request a review
Northern Territory – Fines Recovery Unit
Queensland – QLD Government – Disputing a fine
South Australia – Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit
Tasmania – Monetary Penalties Enforcement Service
Victoria – Fines Victoria – request a review
Western Australia – WA Fines Enforcement Registry

So look up the law, follow the relevant processes and cross those fingers. Whatever you do, don’t ignore the fine notice just because you think it wasn’t deserved.

Negotiating the fine

Assuming your two-bit excuse fails and you’re facing payment, you actually have a lot of options. Of course, paying it straight up is one of them, but depending on the agency and nature of the fine, other actions to take are:

Entering into a long-term payment plan
Performing community service to work off the debt (this usually requires you to don a high-vis vest)
Being granted an extension to pay (pushing the inevitable back a bit)
Arranging regular deductions to pay the fine from your Centrelink payments via a free service called Centrepay

So you have some reasonable payment alternatives. All are much better than not paying and letting your fine balloon out like a financial black eye.

Not paying the fine

If you don’t settle the score, the enforcement agencies will come-a-knockin’, usually wielding one of these sticks:

Suspension or cancellation of your driver’s licence or car registration
Court enforcement action (telling you to do something you don’t want to)
Publication of your name on a website for all to see (including the bank manager)
Civil enforcement where your possessions can be taken and sold (and the courts aren’t as good at selling your stuff as you)
Taking some of your wages (aka ‘paying the fine’)
Have a charge registered over your land (basically, very bad news)

So don’t take the risk, get on to sorting out those fines today. And always buy your train ticket.