Toowoomba’s fine dodgers have racked up a staggering debt of $18.3 million to the State Government.

Member for Toowoomba South David Janetzki MP said the Garden City’s SPER bill made us the fourth-most indebted postcode in Queensland.

Mr Janetzki said he was concerned that the changes to the SPER legislation, which passed in Parliament on Wednesday night, would allow some people to rort the system.

“Previously, if you got a fine you could pay it off or you could work it off through community service,” Mr Janetzki said.

“I am concerned that serial fine dodgers will take the new, third option of attending tax-payer funded counselling or information sessions and have their fine waived,” he said.

“We need to support the genuinely vulnerable people who are unable to pay their fines due to domestic violence, homelessness or mental illness. 

“However, it is a regular occurrence for repeat offenders to front the Toowoomba Court House with unpaid fines totalling $5,000, $10,000 and even $15,000 and they just keep adding it to their tab.”

Toowoomba’s 4350 postcode has nearly 10,000 residents with a total of 61,700 individual SPER debts.

“The last thing we can afford is for the law-abiding citizens of Toowoomba to be subsidising the recidivist activities of others,” Mr Janetzki said.