News and Events

Today, the second COVID Fine case brought by Redfern Legal Centre was back in the Supreme Court. 

Redfern Legal Centre has filed another NSW Supreme Court application seeking the withdrawal of a COVID fine on the grounds of invalidity. 33,000 COVID fines were withdrawn following the first Supreme Court case in late 2022, and 29,000 remain.

Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) have lodged a complaint against former NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller and NSW Police over their heavy-handed approach to handing out more than 60,000 COVID-19 fines during the pandemic.

Today the NSW Supreme Court published its reasons in a test case about COVID-19 fines. The decision clarifies the requirements necessary for a fine to be valid, and calls into disrepute all the remaining 29,017 COVID-19 fines that have not been withdrawn.

The NSW Government’s ‘law and order’ response to the pandemic created significant fines debt and damaged community-police relations in some of the most disadvantaged parts of the state, according to a new UNSW Law School report. 

NSW Supreme Court the State of New South Wales conceded that the COVID-19 fines issued to the three plaintiffs are invalid and fail to meet the legal requirements under the Fines Act (NSW).

NSW government suggestions that children as young as 10 could work off COVID fines have been described as “outrageous” and could be in breach of Australia’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child.

RLC has filed a case in the Supreme Court of New South Wales representing plaintiffs who seek to challenge the validity of their COVID-19 fines.

In December 2021, a coalition of 33 legal organisations signed an open letter calling for an immediate pause on enforcement action of COVID-19 fines.

Nearly 3,000 COVID-19 fines totalling just over $2.1 million dollars have been issued to children aged 10-17 years since 1 July last year, NSW police data reveals.