A fine is a monetary penalty that you may have to pay for breaking the law. Usually you will be given an infringement notice when you have broken a law that incurs a fine. That infringement will set out what law you are believed to have broken, the amount of money you have to pay and the date that you have to pay it by.Â
You are not alone if you need help with a fine or infringement. In the 2019/2020 financial year Victoria Police issued a total of 1,910,607 infringements.
GCLS can help
If you have received fines or infringements, GCLS can help with advice, negotiations and representation on your behalf.Â
If we are unable to help you directly, we can refer you to another organisation that can assist.
How GCLS can help
The help that we can provide will change depending on the type of fine or infringement. It will also change depending on the infringement fine stage (infringement notice, penalty reminder notice, notice of final demand, enforcement warrant, or 7 day notice).
We may be able to help by:Â
Helping you nominate the person who incurred the fine or infringement if it is currently in your name
Requesting a review of the fines or infringements
Negotiating a payment plan
Helping you access the Work and Development Permit Scheme, which allows some fines or infringements to be worked off through activities or treatment
Helping you access the Family Violence Scheme, which allows some fines to be withdrawn where family violence substantially contributed to the fine or infringement being incurred
Helping you choose to take the fine or infringement to Court if you want to contest it.
It’s important to get help as early as possible
It’s important to get help straight away if you’ve received a fine or infringement notice.
The options that you have to deal with your fines or infringements change as they progress through the different stages of the enforcement process and further costs are usually added at each stage. The costs added at each stage can add up to many times the cost of the initial fine.
Navigating the fines and infringements system can be a confusing exercise. The enforcement process is complex and each stage of that process is different, but GCLS is here to help.
To request a free telephone advice session, please call us on 1800 004 402or fill out our online‘Request an Appointment’ form. Our telephone line operates Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.
If you are unable to access our telephone advice service, please fill out our online ‘Request an Appointment’ form and we can organise a face-to-face appointment.
