Aussies May Lose Plates in Unpaid Fine Crackdown

Western Australian motorists could lose their registration numbers if they take too long to pay speeding and parking fines.

There are more than 677,000 outstanding cases and the Attorney-General, Christian Porter, is determined to bring in harsh measures designed to reverse the trend.

"It is critical to make sure the gap between the fines given out and the fines paid narrows rather than widens." he says.

So, the plan is to simply revoke defaulters' vehicle registrations and even physically remove the number plates from their cars.

"If you take the number plate off a de-registered vehicle, you make it almost impossible for that person to drive and thereby create a much higher incentive for that person to enter into a time-to-pay agreement.

The outstanding bill currently stands at a staggering 145 million Australian dollars - more than £70 million.

Porter also envisages an additional scheme which could see the authorities recouping the losses directly from social security payments - a move strongly opposite by his opposite number, John Quigley, who puts forward the view that such action could have a knock-on effect on innocent dependants who rely on the income.

Back to News Index