NSW Government refunds millions of Covid fines
Millions of dollars in fines dished out for breaches of Covid restrictions in NSW are set to be refunded, while close to 24,000 penalty notices will be officially erased.
The announcement of the statewide refund by the NSW Fines Administration Commissioner on Tuesday came after legal advice cast doubt on the legal validity of the penalties handed out during Covid lockdowns.
In total, more than $5.5 million will be handed back to those who have made either a full or partial payment towards paying off a Covid fine.
Those in line for money, or with outstanding penalties, will be contacted by Revenue NSW within days.
“Following representations made to the Commissioner of Police and myself concerning the validity of COVID-19 penalty notices, I have decided to exercise my statutory authority and withdraw these notices,” Fine Administration Commissioner Scott Johnston said.
“Revenue NSW will be reaching out to all affected customers to support them through the finalisation of their matters.”
At the height of the pandemic, the state government claimed they introduced the public health orders to "protect the community".
Some fines have already been withdrawn, as in 2022 the Commissioner withdrew about 36,000 penalty notices tied to Covid-related offences because the information on them “made it difficult” for recipients to understand their offence.
The remaining 23,539 penalty notices were believed to have provided a clearer explanation and were not withdrawn, but after further legal advice and consideration, it was considered “appropriate” to withdraw them too.
Image credits: Xinhua News Agency/Shutterstock Editorial