The Fines Reform Advisory Board has delivered its Report on the Delivery of Fines Reform and the Attorney-General, the Hon Jill Hennessy MP has announced that the government has accepted 13 of the recommendations in full or in principle with the remaining recommendations to be considered following further consultation with the sector.
The Report follows four months of consultation with fine recipients and stakeholders of Victoria’s fines system, including community members and organisations who contributed submissions via the Engage Victoria platform and by email.
Based on these consultations, a review of fines legislation and the Fines Victoria IT technology forward plan, the Advisory Board made 24 recommendations to further improve the way the Victorian fines system operates.
This includes a number of recommendations to improve outcomes for the state’s most vulnerable fine recipients, including:
- making it easier for vulnerable people to prove special circumstances
- widening access to programs which allow fines to be worked off through particular activities
- allow more prisoners to convert their outstanding fines into time served in custody and extend it to unsentenced prisoners on remand.
You can read a copy of the Report, and the Victorian Governments’ response on the Fines Reform Engage Victoria page (External link).
The Advisory Board was established in September 2019 and conducted four months of consultation, including individual and roundtable meetings with stakeholders and public submissions.
The Advisory Board would like to thank everyone who contributed to the review, including fines system stakeholders and individual fine recipients who shared their experience with the fines system to help improve it for all Victorians.