Councils in Victoria have been found to be in breach of the Infringement Act for thousands of parking fines, which means they’ll be refunding almost $20million worth of fines paid between 2006 and 2017. Y’know what what means?! Money back! Yeowwww.

The issues have been identified by the Victorian Ombudsman, and suggest that the councils were allowing fines to be handled by external parties, rather than internally. 

If you’ve paid a parking fine or unsuccessfully appealed a parking fine (i.e. you appealed it, it was rejected, and you then paid) you could be eligible for a refund if you meet the criteria.

My partner and I received a parking fine in July 2017 in Port Phillip. We appealed it but it was rejected, so we have filed a request for a refund of the $159 we paid.

If you can find your infringement notice, the payment on your bank statement, and/or any communications with the council, it could help your case. Also, be careful with the dates and double check you’re inputting the right address. We had 3 addresses during 2017, so we had to double check which we would have put down when we appealed our parking fine. 

A lot of the communications surrounding the refunds do seem to be specific to those who have appealed a fine unsuccessfully… though to be honest, if you’ve paid a fine during the qualifying period, it’s probably worth giving it a shot. The forms are pretty short, and the councils should be able to trace your fine to your registration plate anyway. 

Since many of the news stories are fairly vague on how to actually apply for the refunds, I’ve scoured for you and found the links you need. You can call me a queen if you like.

Parking infringement refund in City of Port Phillip

Parking infringement refund in City of Stonnington

Parking infringement refund in City of Glen Eira

Parking infringement refund City of Monash

The City of Monash will also be refunding some fines, though their process isn’t quite as concrete yet. None the less, this link contains more information on the qualifying periods, and an email address to contact the council if you think you’re owed a refund. 

Parking infringement refund City of Kingston

The same goes for the City of Kingston, though they claim they’ll be writing to eligible recipients. If you’ve had a parking fine in the City of Kingston, keep an eye out for mail, or contact them directly for more info. 

Go forth and get refunded!

Note: information correct based on available news on 26 Feb 2020. Information in this article does not guarantee your right to a refund.