Making fines fairer

Few would argue against the principle that the penalty for an offence should affect all offenders equally.

No one would argue that rich people should receive shorter jail sentences or have fewer demerit points deducted than poor people. Yet, argues Clive Hamilton, the system of flat rate fines for traffic and other offences in Australia is grossly unfair in just this way. A flat fine applied to all imposes much more pain on low-income people than it does on high income earners.