Ombudsman not confident Fines Victoria debacle will be fixed by June deadline

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass says she’s not confident Fines Victoria will fix its problem plagued IT system by the June deadline.

Ms Glass slammed Fines Victoria for chasing debts incurred by dead people and wrongly suspending licences in a report earlier this month, which revealed a 74 per cent increase in the number of complaints made about the government department

She told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell Fines Victoria’s problems are “not over yet”.

Widespread administrative problems began when Fines Victoria introduced a new IT system, which wasn’t fully functional prior to launch.

Ms Glass said the emotional distress caused by Fines Victoria incompetence was the worst part of the situation.

Complaints she has received include one from a father who received multiple enforcement letters for fines incurred by his deceased son, and a taxi driver who was left without an income after his licence was wrongly suspended.

“I’ve got no doubt that this has affected people’s lives. One of the reasons this is such an important story, I think, is the human impact it has,” she told Neil Mitchell.

“We know how much anxiety and distress this has caused,” she said.

Administrative issues have also plagued the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages recently.

Ms Glass told Neil she received a spike in complaints about the department after they adopted a new IT system in February.

Press PLAY below to see Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass in studio with Neil Mitchell.