More than half of non-traffic-related ACT city services fines issued in 2017 and 20 per cent of ACT policing's infringement notices are yet to be paid, with little to be done to fix the problem.
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An update of Canberra's fines management scheme was proposed in 2016 after it was discovered law-breakers were ignoring hundreds of fines, and the government was unable or unwilling to take court action to make them cough up.
![Work to recoup unpaid fines is unlikely to begin for another year. Photo: Jeffrey Chan Work to recoup unpaid fines is unlikely to begin for another year. Photo: Jeffrey Chan](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/aa4a1215-19ee-46d0-8af3-d37cf642de7d/r0_0_2000_1223_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
However, while "consideration of such a scheme is continuing", a Justice and Community Safety Directorate spokesman said it would not go ahead for at least another year.
In 2016, Fairfax Media revealed the scale of the problem, which showed tens of thousands of dollars worth of infringements had gone unpaid for the previous two years.
And the problem is set to continue. Government data on non-traffic related fines issued by ACT policing alone, from January 2016 to July 2017, showed outstanding fines totalled more than $20,000.
Infringement notices for urinating in a public place, issued by ACT policing, had the most number of fines outstanding from 2016-17 with 40 of the $200 fines continuing to go unpaid.
In the city services directorate, 22 fines from January 2016 to July 2017, related to the Domestic Animals Act, Animal Welfare Act and the Litter Act, had gone unpaid.
The Justice and Community Safety Directorate spokesman said the vast majority of infringements issued were for parking and traffic offences. These were paid in full or through a payment plan, as unpaid fines resulted in the suspension of a person's licence or registration.
Non-payment of court-imposed fines could also result in the suspension of a person's licence, registration or right to drive.
The directorate spokesman said while other enforcement options were available for court-ordered fines, such as property seizure, voluntary work order or imprisonment, these required court action which is "not necessarily a cost effective way to deal with unpaid fines".
"It is important that financial penalties such as infringements and fines have their intended deterrent effect. The continuing work to understand how a fines management scheme could be introduced will support that outcome," the spokesman said.
However, the same fine management systems did not apply to infringement notices.
ACT opposition leader Alistair Coe said the government was slow to enforce existing legislation.
"Rather than imposing more legislation and regulations, the government should concentrate on enforcing the existing rules," Mr Coe said.
"Of course, with government charges, including fines, going through the roof, it is no wonder that many Canberrans can't afford to pay infringements," he said.