THE state government is moving to stop “misleading and unfair practices” by private car park operators.
Consumer Affairs Minister Jane Garrett said some operators in pay and display car parks were issuing unenforceable payment notices which were “dressed up” to look like fines.
These fines can be between $80 to $100 per ticket and, if people don’t pay the fines, debt collectors are sent after them.
Some Victorians have told the Consumer Action Law Centre that the companies, their lawyers and debt collectors were using harassing tactics in pursuit of questionable demands for payment.
Recent decisions from the Supreme Court and VCAT have found that some private car park fines were unenforceable because the damages did not reflect the actual losses suffered by the operator.
Frankston Labor MP Paul Edbrooke said the legislation, if passed, will protect people from being intimidated into paying “fake fines”.
“The Frankston community had to deal with this issue last year at the Peninsula Aquatic Recreation Centre, and I’m very happy to see that the state government is cracking down on this unfair practice,” he said.
A Road Safety Amendment (Private Car Park Operations) bill, introduced in Parliament last week, will abolish the right for car park operators to apply to the courts for access to people’s details through VicRoads.