The State Penalties Enforcement Registry, the ‘fine’ collection agency is a shining example of the emerging fascism and arrogance in Queensland under the Premier Campbell Newman and his megalomaniacal government.
This tale of incompetence and aggression towards the public is enshrined in the bureaucratic and police mentality of the state.
More than 12 months ago a north Queensland driver loaned his vehicle to another person who drove it in his absence, only to incur an alleged speeding camera fine.
The vehicle owner some time later collected his car then to find, some eight weeks later, a readdressed letter from the “hopeless and incompetent” Police Camera Office containing an ‘infringement’ notice.
The owner duly contacted the camera office advising them he was not the driver and would not pay it under any circumstances. To date he says he has not paid it and would never pay it under any duress proffered by the “dictatorial, goose-stepping traffic cops seeking illicit income to enhance their individual KPI’s.”
Meanwhile the actual driver at the time eventually contacted the camera office stating he was driving the vehicle.
The owner duly filled out an official Queensland statutory declaration to this effect. It was not accepted by the camera office because it was not made out on the correct form.
Another was sent, but this too was not accepted, because the wrong person had filled it out.
Meanwhile the owner had discovered the official statutory declaration form on the back of the camera notice, when sworn, became prima facie evidence for swearing a false statement.
The hapless owner asked the Camera Office how in absentia he could swear to the identity of another driver when he was not present. The declaration was based on hearsay.
The driver then contacted the Main Roads Department and his local LNP member of parliament.
During the bureaucratic battle between the SPER office which had issued a Licence Suspension Notice to the owner and the equally hopeless Camera Office, the owner spent hours on the telephone trying to unravel the mess.
He said he was told by the Camera Office to contact SPER stating he supplied it with a statutory declaration because the Camera Office cannot contact SPER about any matters other than who was going to supply the piss for their combined Christmas party .
The MP’s office also met a wall of incompetence and conflicting advice while trying to unravel the mess about which Statutory Declaration should be used, who should supply it and who should actually sign.
By now Christmas had arrived, and neither bureaucracy was interested in anything other than spending their ill-gotten traffic fine bonuses on beer and skittles.
In exasperation the actual driver then went to the Main Roads Department office, filled out another statutory declaration and paid the alleged amount outstanding.
It is now May of the following year and the SPER recently wrote to the owner reminding him that his suspension was still active.
He said he was giving the entire file to a member of the Opposition to take to the next sittings of Parliament to outline the hopelessness of the bureaucracy involved.
Who knows perhaps the LNP Government could give the Camera Office some telephone training and computer lessons to enable its bored staff to find the phone number of SPER to advise them of their combined stupidity.