The premier of New South Wales has defended the department responsible for taking millions of dollars in unpaid hotel quarantine fees out of people’s bank accounts.
Over 17,000 people have not paid the $3,000 fee that Revenue NSW is still pursuing.
Additionally, it has sent more than 5,000 “garnishee orders” to bank accounts of debtors in an effort to recoup the nearly $40 million in unpaid hotel quarantine costs.
The majority of foreign visitors returning to NSW were placed under its hotel quarantine programme, which commenced in March 2020 and was initially provided at no cost until July 2020.
Premier Chris Minns stated that the government required the funds to provide vital services and that citizens had been warned for “years and years” to pay their bill.
Mr. Minns stated, “Those people were warned many times.” “The system was implemented in order to let individuals to return to Australia in very dire circumstances, with the quarantine payment matter to be resolved at a later time.
“Well, that date is today, and unfortunately the government needs that money to run essential services in the state.”
Justin De Vries, a former resident of Victoria, said that approximately three weeks ago, Revenue NSW withdrew $3,000 from his bank account.
It appears to be going too far. One may describe it as eerie,” Mr. De Vries remarked. “I discovered that several thousand dollars had disappeared from my bank account.”
Mr. De Vries said that he left Europe for “personal reasons” and returned to Australia in January 2021. He is currently back in Europe.
He acknowledged that he had been trying to avoid paying the cost as the two weeks he spent alone in the Sydney Marriott Hotel were “mistreatment” and the food was not up to par.
In actuality, it was inedible. “I can’t eat bread, so I begged them to stop giving it to me,” he stated.
“In actuality, I stopped being a vegetarian so that I could consume food. From the start to the finish, everything was mistreated.”
According to Mr. Minns, prior to the money being seized, those whose accounts had been garnished would have received a notification.
Revenue NSW “always attempts communication with the customer to notify them” that an outstanding fee has not been paid, according to a representative for the agency.
“When checking in to a quarantine hotel, individuals were asked to provide contact details,” the statement continued. “A written notification explaining that they would have to pay quarantine fees was delivered to them. Revenue NSW pursued payment using these particulars.”
