"For people living week to week, large fines can leave them in a position where they may not be able to pay for their rent or put food on the table," said Laura Bianchi, a solicitor specialising in credit, debt and consumer law at Redfern Legal Centre.
NSW's State Debt Recovery Office has "procedures" to help pay fines including work orders, time to pay arrangements and payments by instalments.
However, some people experiencing financial hardship or who have a mental illness or serious substance addiction may apply for a Work and Development Order, she added.
"If approved they can satisfy their fines through unpaid work with an approved organisation or through certain courses or treatment," she said. "It is possible to ask the State Debt Recovery Office to postpone enforcement of a fine or waive the fine in its entirety."
Read:
Sydney drivers pay twice as much for parking fines as New York (Sydney Morning Herald, 26 March 2017)
