MARK ALDRIDGE

It is impossible to even consider that our own state government would attack rather than reward safe driving, or condemn the innocent as a result of their own short falls, “what a bloody disgrace” says Mark Aldridge federal independent for Wakefield.

When personal property can be taken from innocent parties, just to make up for short falls in government income forecasts from fine allocations, it becomes nothing more than punishment for doing the right thing.

In 2011 alone; 54,000 fewer speeding fines were issued, compared with four years earlier, but rather than reward those doing the right thing, they pass bad debt and funding shortfalls onto innocent victims.

As of this week, homes and vehicles of fine dodgers can be sold by the government to recoup money in some cases, even if they are not owned by the offender, by new laws passed by the states upper house.

The laws allow officers of a new government fines recovery unit to sell a debtor's vehicle, home or place of residence if they owe more than $10,000.

This includes properties that may be jointly owned by another person, all because their huge increase in offences that in the most attempt to entrap the innocent, have not had the financial results they expected, what kind of message is this?

The governments lack lustre approach to unpaid fines resulted in $171 million in debts being written off between 2010 and 2011 alone, this fact coupled with a sharp reduction in offences, is not a problem to be imposed on innocent parties.

Employers, parents, children or partners of offenders could lose their car if someone they know or employ breaks the law and is caught while driving their vehicle.

Every South Australian should immediately write to their local member in disgust before the lower house votes on this issue, and I mean immediately.

The new “Fines Enforcement and Recovery Office”, which will employ about 85 full-time staff, many of whom will be transferred from the Courts Administration Authority will be empowered to find the missing money. This will simply lead to increased costs to tax payers and leave our courts, which are already unable to cope with their current work load, even worse off.

Having yet another government bureaucracy which will have the power to withdraw money from the bank accounts of serial fine dodgers or dock their weekly wages is one thing, but taking assets from innocent parties is an absolute disgrace, and must be opposed.

Government Minister Gail Gago said "any vehicle involved in an offence that led to the debt (fine)" could be subject to the law "irrespective" of who owned the vehicle.

What this all means in lay terms, is another person buggers up, they can come for an innocent party, namely you, if they threaten to take your home over a $10,000 debt of another, will you pay that to keep your home, or head to the high court to fight for your rights, which for most is financially out of reach. Fact is most will simply pay the fine.

SOCCA legislation (Serious & Organised Crime Control Act) by the very same government, follows a similar total disregard to our civil and human rights, someone accuses you of an offence, and you go to jail, and no, you don’t have a right to cross examine, you are simply guilty, this also is nothing but bad law, offensive law, and must also be opposed.

The picture is more than painted, the government want to do what the hell they like, with total disrespect to the rule of law, equity or justice, and these are the same people we supposedly elected to protect our best interests.

Taking from us the presumption of innocence, disregarding the ideal of justice, equity and fair play, have no place in our society, who we associate with or chose not to associate with is none of the governments business and all this is made even more abhorrent by the fact a majority of our supposed representatives support these attacks on our rights and liberties.

The list of bad legislation and self serving amendments has grown on a weekly basis for far too long, if as a people we cant find the will to say "enough is enough" then what horrors do our children face?

If these bad laws don’t get you, or the host of unjust legislative changes in recent years have yet to affect you, the next ones might, so the time to say NO is now.

Email your local representative now, or all this will only be overshadowed by even more bad law and attacks on our liberty.

Mark Aldridge

Independent federal candidate for Wakefield & community advocate

aldridgemark@bigpond.com

82847482 / 0403379500