Aussie council admits to overcharging parking fines since 2002

The Baw Baw Shire Council in Victoria's High Country has admitted it had been overcharging some drivers who were issued parking fines for close to two decades.

According to the local road authority for the winter tourist hotspot, motorists who were issued infringements between 1 June 2002 and 30 June 2010, as well as between 1 July 2016 and 4 August 2025, are eligible for a partial refund of the overcharged portion of their fines.

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Depending on when the motorist was fined, eligible motorists could receive a refund ranging from $13.50 to $61, with the rebate scheme open for a year as the local council works through the blunder.

Drive understands that at least 175 incorrect infringements were issued, of which 138 have been processed. The council has not confirmed the total refund value.

Baw Baw Shire Council director of planning and development Luke Connell said the issue was caused by an administrative error.

“Baw Baw Shire Council applied the maximum 0.5 penalty unit to the lower-level parking infringement types without specific Council resolution to do so. At the time when the error was made, Council officers were of the belief the fees were set as statutory fees, which didn’t need any further action from Council,” he told Drive.

“Reviews of Council’s practices are ongoing to ensure compliance with legislation. It was such a review that led to the discovery of this issue, which the council has been hard at work to rectify since its discovery.”

The offences involved in the partial refund relate to a range of parking violations, including exceeding time limits, failure to comply with angled and 90-degree parking, and failure to abide by parking area requirements.

The council said that, in order to receive the refund, affected drivers must show they were the registered owner of the vehicle at the time the infringement was issued, with the authority needing at least one document – such as a vehicle registration certificate, car insurance, proof of purchase, or servicing documents – as evidence.  

As reported by Drive in June 2025, a Melbourne council also issued partial refunds – totalling $12 million – to more than 250,000 drivers for the same administrative error.

The partial refund amount for affected drivers is listed below.