Daniel Jeffrey reporting on 9 News.
The Supreme Court on April 6 published its reasons for throwing out two fines handed to two NSW residents – a decision which, in November, led to Revenue NSW withdrawing 33,121 fines.
There are currently a little more than 29,000 COVID-19 fines in NSW that have not been withdrawn.
Following the April 6 decision, the Redfern Legal Centre urged the state government to withdraw those penalty notices.
This judgment calls into disrepute all remaining COVID-19 fines because the fines do not meet the legal requirements of a valid penalty notice," Samantha Lee, Redfern Legal Centre's police accountability solicitor, said at the time.
"The government must now do the right thing and withdraw all COVID-19 fines that were issued – including those offences which individuals elected to take to court and any work and development orders – and reimburse fines already paid.
"This case is not about COVID-19 or about public health orders. It is about ensuring the rule of law is adhered to even in a time of crisis."
Read the full article here (18 April, 2023).
