Our clients that will argue that their COVID-19 fines are invalid because the penalty notices they received lacked sufficient detail about the offence, as required under the Fines Act.
If a person is not provided with the details of the alleged offence for which they have been fined, it makes it exceedingly difficult to seek advice about review options or contest a fine in court.
If successful, it is our hope this test case will set a precedent that will invalidate tens of thousands of similarly worded and wrongfully issued COVID-19 fines.
Fined for sitting? Your fine may have been wrongfully issued.
Shortly after our judicial review request was filed, Rohan Pank, one of the intended plaintiffs in the case, had his fine withdrawn.
Mr Pank was fined in August 2021 for sitting in a park with his girlfriend while not in an area of concern, at a time when outdoor exercise and recreation was permitted. Mr Pank was given no explanation for this decision, which followed two previously unsuccessful fine review attempts.
This new decision about our client’s fine means that it may be possible that other fines similar in nature may also be cancelled. RLC encourage anyone who thinks they may have been fined unfairly to seek a review, even if they have previously had a review request rejected by Revenue NSW.
You can seek a review through Revenue NSW, or for confidential and free legal advice, contact:
- your local community legal centre
- Legal Aid
- or contact Redfern Legal Centre (www.rlc.org.au/contact, phone 02 9698 7277)
