Parking fines: The folly of issuing tickets to raise revenue - Richard Prebble

The Government wants to “get tough” on the “selfish behaviour” of people who misuse car parks reserved for disabled people by hiking the fine to $750. Photo / Candice Luke

THREE KEY FACTS

• AN OECD survey on drivers of trust in public institutions found that in NZ 73% trust the police and 65% the courts
• 48% believe public employees would refuse bribes to speed up service access
• The Government is increasing the fine for parking in a mobility space to $750 and hiking towage and impoundment fees.

Richard Prebble is a former Labour Party minister and Act Party leader. He currently holds a number of directorships.

OPINION

Over a quarter of our fellow citizens believe a civil servant would accept a bribe. This shocking finding comes from a survey of 2000 respondents in October/November last year. It is part of an OECD survey of 30 countries on “Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions” published in July.

The OECD observes: “Trust is a key foundation of well-functioning democracies”.

Virtually every economic transaction involves an element of trust. Maintaining a high-trust society is vital. This is the second survey. Our results are getting worse.

My constituents had many complaints regarding the government but no one said they had been asked for a bribe. When I was working in countries where there is bribery everyone talks about it. If our civil servants were taking bribes we would know.

I am sure the 48% who believe public employees would refuse bribes to speed up service access is right.

Perception is important. It should be a Government priority to discover why a quarter of us think civil servants are bribable.

The agency responsible for maintaining the integrity of the civil service is Te Kawa Mataaho, also known as the Public Service Commission. In their report on the survey results, marked “priority: low”, it smugly states:

“Results highlighted a range of areas where New Zealand performed well, including trust in the Public Service”. There is no mention that 27% of the respondents think civil servants would take bribes.

There could be many reasons why our trust in public institutions is falling. Te Kawa Mataaho may have revealed one.

National and NZ First’s coalition agreement states: “Ensure all public service departments have their primary name in English”.

In June, the Commission was still using Māori for its primary name.

When the agency responsible for maintaining an incorruptible, non-political, bureaucracy fails to implement the coalition’s policy to use English names it is a signal to the whole civil service to passively resist the policies of an elected Government.

Why should we have trust in public institutions if they do not recognise that elected governments have a mandate to govern?

Then there is using fines to generate revenue.

I have a friend from Pakistan who asks me what is worse, a police officer in Pakistan taking bribes adjusted for income from motorists caught speeding or our public service that has placed a speed camera in Whangārei’s low-income Kamo to generate 46,917 automatic fines worth $4,830,450 knowing many cannot pay?

Then there is Auckland Transport. It has set up confusing bus lanes and installed cameras to fine motorists who inadvertently stray.

If automatic fines were not so lucrative would the cameras have been installed?

Justice Ministry annual reports repeatedly say inability to pay fines is often the first step for young Māori on the path to jail. Automatic fines, unlike court fines, are set at a level so that for the well-off they are the “licence fee” for speeding. For the poor, the fine might as well be $1 million. They cannot pay.

What beneficiary could pay the proposed $750 fine for parking in disabled parking? Are we really going to start people on the path to prison for parking?

'Auckland Transport has set up confusing bus lanes and installed cameras to fine motorists who inadvertently stray.'

Is it any surprise the OECD survey found only 45% of us have trust in local government?

If the Government was to take this OECD survey seriously it would result in many policy changes.

Like other OECD countries, New Zealanders trust law and order most. Trust in the police is at 73% and 65% for the courts - above the OECD average.

Asian New Zealanders have the highest levels of trust and Māori the lowest.

When results are adjusted for where you live, income and education, race becomes less significant. Public services are better in the cities. The survey reveals that “those with financial concerns or less years of education” have the lowest levels of trust.

Educationalist Alwyn Poole has just published his annual ranking of every school. For the top 40 schools, 87% of the pupils left with University Entrance. For the bottom 40 schools, just 2.7% of the pupils achieved University Entrance.

We know two actions that would dramatically improve education outcomes and so improve trust. Get all pupils to attend school regularly and stay at school until age 17.

Public servants could lift the public’s trust in them by ensuring these two policies receive high priority.

I believe stopping raising revenue by automatic fines would also lift our trust in our public institutions.