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Bureaucratic no-brainer 08aug03 THERE are varying degrees of brain damage as demonstrated by the case of a homeless Melbourne man reported in yesterday's Herald Sun. The brain-injured alcoholic, Andy, totted up more than $110,000 in fines over five years for begging, public drinking, swearing and petty offences. Not surprisingly, the destitute man, who lived in and around Flinders St station, could not pay the fines. The question arises: if the brain processes of this hapless man were imperfect, what of the thought processes of the authorities who wasted money pursuing him? They continued to issue him with fines while they spent about $50,000 of taxpayers' money trying to get him to pay up. Over a period, court hearings before magistrates whose brains were clearly fully functional ended the absurdity by erasing the fines. The Homeless Persons Legal Clinic says that in June a magistrate ordered Andy to see a social worker and he has since found a home and sorted himself out. While special sessions of the Melbourne Magistrates' Court for people with special circumstances have helped, community bodies want the Bracks Government to change the way unpaid fines are collected from socially-disadvantaged people. Lawyers told the Herald Sun that at least 100 other homeless Victorians are in similar situations, having accumulated unpaid fines of up to $50,000 each. The money spent trying to recoup them should be going towards the cost of rehabilitation.
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