Fines Victoria IT system another Andrews Government bungle

The bungled IT system introduced by the Andrews Labor Government for Fines Victoria will continue to be plagued with problems for at least several more months, says Shadow Attorney-General Edward O’Donohue.

This isn’t just about the Andrews Labor Government’s inability to deliver projects competently and on time and on budget, this is about a bungled system that is causing enormous stress and anxiety for innocent Victorians who’ve been wrongly served with legal documents.

A report released yesterday by the Ombudsman shows that in 2018 they received 605 complaints, a 74% annual increase, about Fines Victoria.

This follows revelations that the new ICT platform for Fines Victoria is not only 18 months behind schedule but it already has a cost blow out of 34.8%.

Some of the comments in the report from innocent Victorians makes for troubling reading and reflects very poorly on the Andrews Labor Government.

In one case, a 77-year-old pensioner said they were at a loss as to what to do next as he couldn’t afford legal action.

Another complainant, a woman who was 7 months pregnant, also complained of the distress caused by the harassment of legal threats from Fines Victoria. She was then put in the position of having to pay the incorrectly issued fine just to stop the harassment and stress.

Another Victorian who was rightfully fined in the first instance paid that fine but was then wrongly accused by Fines Victoria of still owing money. She also accused the agency of harassment which caused enormous distress.

Labor Governments have a long history of bungling projects from Myki and the desalination plant to the IT system for Fines Victoria.

This IT system introduced by the Andrews Labor Government is at least 18 months behind schedule, around 15 million dollars over budget and has caused distress and suffering to countless Victorians.

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