ACT Greens MLA Andrew Braddock has today (March 24) moved a motion calling to make government fines more fair for vulnerable Canberrans.
Mr Braddock said that as Canberra is in many ways a small town, compassion should be extended to how fines are issued.
“The purpose of fines is to encourage Canberrans to comply with the law. But as it currently stands, our fine system doesn’t recognise the unequal capacity of people to pay,” said Mr Braddock.
“People on higher incomes are able to pay fines without much impact on their lives, while for others, one fine could be their cost of living for a week.”
Mr Braddock says the ACT Greens don’t think it’s appropriate for vulnerable Canberrans to end up in court for an unpaid fine, particularly for minor offences.
“I am asking the ACT government to examine whether there is another way to encourage better behaviour while extending compassion to those who struggle the most in our community,” he said.
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