THE policy of a Toowoomba magistrate who refused to impose further fines on offenders with outstanding fine debts of more than $1000 appears to have been vindicated by a reading of the region's latest SPER debt figures.
Magistrate Bruce Schemioneck was one of a few magistrates who some time ago took a stand against offenders who were slow in (or reluctant to) repaying their SPER (State Penalties Enforcement Register) debts.
Generally, offenders who appear in Toowoomba Magistrates Court with SPER debts of more than $1000 are refused further fines and instead offered unpaid community service or probation - or jail time.
Most opt for the community service option, but it would appear by the latest figures the policy was not halting the rising SPER debt of offenders in the 4350 post code region.
More than 9000 of the 157,700 residents in the 4350 post code area owed us, the community, via the State Government a whopping $14,206,000 in outstanding fines and associated penalties.
That's up more than $2 million on the region's 2012 figure.
SPER debts can be worked off by the debtor opting to do community service but at $20 an hour, the fine/option order might not appeal to some offenders such as one 36-year-old man who fronted Toowoomba Magistrates Court with a SPER debt of more than $31,000.
In Cairns, post code 4870, more than 8500 of its 151,000 or so residents owed $14,387,000 in SPER debts while Logan and district owed $16,257,000, and Beenleigh and the northern tip of the Gold Coast had a collective unpaid SPER debt of $16,152,000.
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