Over 33,000 Covid fines will be withdrawn or refunded in Australia’s most populous state after a court deemed them invalid. An Australian legal advocacy group challenged the pandemic-era fines on the basis they were “too vague”.
The “fail to comply” fines were issued for a range of alleged offences – from carpooling to attending a public gathering. They ranged from $1,000 (£559) to $3,000 (£1,677).
Ultimately, government lawyers conceded the fines did not meet legal requirements in the New South Wales Supreme Court. Shortly after the decision was handed down, the Commissioner of Fines Administration withdrew 31,121 of the 62,138 fines.
