Fines Enforcement and Recovery Unit

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:18): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the minister representing the police minister about the fines recovery unit.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: A constituent has written to me about a problem he had with the South Australia Police after being stopped twice for being suspended from driving. On the first occasion, he was informed that the suspension was in place because he had not paid a fine for having an unregistered dog. After immediately paying the fine, he was told his enforcement order was lifted. However, three days later he was stopped again for the same licence suspension and forced to sit on a footpath as police searched him and his vehicle and asked him questions dating back 20 years.

When he queried the matter with the fines recovery unit, the constituent was told SAPOL was having 'computer system issues and they were not receiving notifications of suspension orders being lifted'. The fines recovery unit is, of course, doing its job trying to claw back hundreds of millions of dollars owed in unpaid fines. My questions to the police minister are:

1. Are there problems with communications from the fines recovery unit to SAPOL?

2. How long have these problems existed and when will it be fixed?

3. How many fine defaulters who subsequently rectify the situation have been affected by these computer glitches?

4. Will apologies be issued to people who have been wrongly stopped for checks?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:20): As minister representing the Minister for Police in the other place, I will take that question on notice and refer it to him.