Often people have a duty to help others. In some instances, people assist others who are in need on their own free will.
In this case, a woman given the name “Good Samaritan” called an ambulance after she saw a homeless man hit by a car and was shocked when she was hounded by debt collectors over her good deed.
Ambulance Victoria has apologized to the good Samaritan Melbourne lady Jenna (surname withheld) who was chased by debt collectors after she called an ambulance on March 23, 2018 for a homeless man who was hit by a car.

Jenna was riding her bike to work in Melbourne in March when she saw the man get hit. No-one stopped to help, so being trained in first aid, she went back and called triple-0 from her mobile. After the call, her private details were forwarded to a debt collection firm seeking payment for the call-out. The emergency service has admitted to passing on the private details of the woman disclosed when making the triple zero call.
After Jenna told her story, dozens of callers told ABC Melbourne they had had “similar experiences” of being chased by debt collectors for Ambulance Victoria.

For more information about this incident, please visit the article in ABC NEWS.

Fines in NSW

 

In NSW there are 21 000 offences and approximately 100 legislative instruments for which a penalty notice or ‘fine’ can be issued. While many fines are for traffic related offences, fines are also collected for offences such as fare evasion on public transport, littering and failing to ‘move on’ when directed by a police officer. Research suggests that people who are socially or economically disadvantaged are more vulnerable to attracting fines and less likely to have the means and capacity to pay them.
Several barriers to paying fines and negotiating the fines processing system exist. These include:
• High fine amounts
• The inability to manage the fines processing system
• Barriers to accessing court
• Barriers to seeking legal advice/assistance
• Barriers to seeking special consideration.
People issued with a penalty notice are given the option of electing to have their matter heard at court. To do so, people must fill in the court election form on the back of the notice and send the form to the SDRO before payment of the fine is due.

National Criminal Lawyers

 

If you have a fine you wish to challenge in Court, it is essential that you receive the best legal advice. The defence team at National Criminal Lawyers have considerable experience in dealing with fine matters (both in and out of Court), so please contact our office on 02 9893 1889 or visit www.nationalcriminallawyers.com.au for more information about your options.

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