Pet Registration Fine $363 - Challenge in Magistrates Court?

bargainervic on 20/06/2022 - 17:21
Last edited 20/06/2022 - 20:01 by 1 other user

I live in Whittlesea Council, Victoria and received $363 fine for failure to renew my pet registration. The registration is only $50. I never received any pet renewal letter except only evidence from Council that it was posted from their end. I am suspecting it could have gone to my neighbours and never got delivered.

I am thinking to go to Magistrate Court for matter to be heard.

I want to seek opinion regarding what are the options and extra fees for proceeding this matter to Magistrate Court.

Any thoughts?

Note: I already appealed to the Council. The only evidence they provided was renewal notice posted from their end. I didn't receive any phone calls, SMS or email for pet registration renewal.

Pets

Comments

  • MS Paint on 20/06/2022 - 17:30
    +13

    Tell them your pet died and no renewal required.

    • AustriaBargain on 20/06/2022 - 20:13
      +1

      Too late, he's already started a paper trail where he never said the ferret or whatever died.

  • oscargamer on 20/06/2022 - 17:39
    -6

    Put on your big boy / girl pants, start adulting, pay the fine, learn to set reminders for important things…..

    • bargainervic on 20/06/2022 - 19:52
      +1

      I pay my rates on time. I would have paid if got a renewal notice with payment details.

      • DaGooniesBrokeMyVcr on 21/06/2022 - 11:57

        Maybe the should put this on your rates notice, might be easier and save on sending additional bills, saves on tax dollars but I imagine they make alot in fines. Someone eg neighbours prolly reported you

  • Hybroid on 20/06/2022 - 17:50

    TIL you have to officially register pets here. That’s new to me. (Don’t have pets.)

    • onetwothreefour on 20/06/2022 - 18:11
      +1

      Yes you do, but I have never heard of having to renew the rego. I better look that up for my council…

      • pharkurnell on 20/06/2022 - 19:03

        Depends on the council and the type of animal…
        Local most animals need rego here :(

      • Seraphin7 on 20/06/2022 - 20:18
        -1

        Councils got to pay for woke virtue signalling some how.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/06/2022 - 18:29
      +4

      if you train it well and make sure fencing is adequate so it can't get out by itself, you could probably get away without registration.

      but if you're a bogan and / or drug dealer type who buys one of those big, intimidating dogs like a pitbull, rottweiler etc and don't train it, it's probably going to end up getting out and biting someone (because it hasn't been trained) and then you will be in a heap of trouble because it's not registered.

      • DaGooniesBrokeMyVcr on 21/06/2022 - 11:51
        -1

        I have two red nose pitbulls between them there Iq is well above your families average iq

      • DaGooniesBrokeMyVcr on 21/06/2022 - 12:19
        -1

        Pit bulls keep bogan druggies out of your home from robbing you ya bogan

  • Ocker on 20/06/2022 - 18:36
    +4

    How can the council prove they posted a renewal notice - quite simply they cannot

    • oscargamer on 20/06/2022 - 19:40
      +3

      The renewal is not required. The only requirement is that the animal is not registered.

    • bargainervic on 20/06/2022 - 19:53
      +1

      I think Australia Post may have stuffed here by not delivering mail

      • oscargamer on 20/06/2022 - 20:06
        +1

        Not relevant

  • CauseNEffect on 20/06/2022 - 18:43
    +2

    Suggest paying for Lifetime registration. The price is significantly reduced for dogs that are desexed.

    You can also get collars with your dogs name and your contact number on it from your council.

    This makes returning an escapee straight forward.

    • bargainervic on 20/06/2022 - 19:51

      I will be happy to pay if that's the option but not in Victoria I think

    • hazzad on 21/06/2022 - 12:35

      Never seen that as an option for whittlsea. How could they even calulate the life expectancy of a pet? Plus could also cost you much more if your dog passes away early on in its life.

  • iNeed2Pee on 20/06/2022 - 20:00
    +2

    Did you put in a complaint with WCC?

    https://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/compla…

    Just good to exhaust every possible option here. I think its a fairly "dog" thing to do.

    • Baysew on 20/06/2022 - 20:02

      Note: I already appealed to the Council.

      • iNeed2Pee on 20/06/2022 - 20:02
        +2

        Appealing to the council could sometimes be seperate to a complaint…(sometimes the complaint handling team are independent to the appeals team and may have more power)

        Edit: Appeal form vs complaints are indeed seperate on the website.

        • bargainervic on 20/06/2022 - 20:39
          +2

          Thanks I will do a formal complaint and give that a try. The email address is same for appeal and complaints for WCC.

  • cookie2 on 20/06/2022 - 20:57
    +1

    Poor form since they could've never registered the pet and therefore never paid previous registrations or been issued a fine for not renewing. Fight it if you can be bothered. Do you provide your email and contact number when registering the animal?

    • bargainervic on 20/06/2022 - 21:10

      yes my contact number and email address was provided on the registration form.

  • JimmyF on 20/06/2022 - 21:19
    +7

    Pet Registration Fine $363

    and this is why I don't register my pets…. Why do I need to pay the council to own a pet?

    • [Deactivated] on 20/06/2022 - 21:22
      +4

      who else is going to pay for their third house? think of the children

    • Quantumcat on 20/06/2022 - 22:12
      +1

      If it isn't registered then you'll get a fine for it not being registered, if it gets picked up by the pound.

      • bargainervic on 20/06/2022 - 22:17

        Dog was registered but didn't get renewal notice for this year with amount and details to pay. WWC council is not digital. They send all by post. The only letter I received was fine.

        • chrisn26 on 20/06/2022 - 22:26
          +3

          Registration is "lifetime" but only if you stay within the same council. You're meant to register your dog shortly after you bring it home from the breeder.

          There's actually no way for the council to know if you have an unregistered dog unless it has been involved in an incident (eg if it got lost and had to be recovered). It is likely some neighbour dobbed you in to the council and the ranger paid a visit to confirm.

          • hazzad on 21/06/2022 - 12:37

            @chrisn26: Maybe for some councils. Whitlesea charges every year. Surprised that others don't do th same. Considering rangers go about looking for strays and checking properties it's not worth no paying. The fine is a good 5 years regsteiation.

        • ColtNoir on 21/06/2022 - 12:13

          I just looked this up and it seems that the default renewal due date is the 10th April. If everyone is the same, I doubt they have to send renewal notices.
          I doubt you get out of this one.

          https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/animal-…

      • JimmyF on 21/06/2022 - 09:22
        +1

        If it isn't registered then you'll get a fine for it not being registered, if it gets picked up by the pound.

        My animals are microchipped, and have name tags etc, kept safety in our property. So it is a small risk I'm willing to take they end up at the pound…..

        The fact is, the OP paid every year (and got nothing for it in return for it), but miss one year and got slapped with a $363 fine.

        By my records, If I got fined tomorrow, I would still be way in front.

        • Quantumcat on 21/06/2022 - 09:38

          A bit like not paying for parking when the fine is low and they rarely check. Logical choice to make.

          • JimmyF on 21/06/2022 - 09:56
            +1

            @Quantumcat: Kinda, but in my case, it's a stand against another council 'tax' which they don't provide anything back in return for.

            I still have to pay to microchip the animals myself. So I'm just paying the council money every year to own an animal for very little in return aka nothing.

          • mhz on 21/06/2022 - 12:09
            +1

            @Quantumcat: With parking, you actually get something for the money you spend. With pet registration you get nothing but a plastic tag that identifies your pet, but a microchip will do that anyway.

            • Quantumcat on 21/06/2022 - 12:15

              @mhz: Microchips don't do anything unless you have registered it in a database somewhere which you have to pay for. Otherwise all that happens when you scan it is you find out the microchip number, which does nothing if there's no information associated with it in a database. If you don't register your animal the microchip won't help anyone contact you if the animal gets lost

              • mhz on 21/06/2022 - 12:31
                +1

                @Quantumcat: Rangers carry microchip readers with them, there is no reason they can't read a microchip from any animal they encounter. Pet registration is pure revenue raising for the council.

                • Quantumcat on 21/06/2022 - 15:54

                  @mhz: All they will find out is the microchip number if it is not registered anywhere. There is no information recorded on the chip besides the number of the chip.

    • mhz on 21/06/2022 - 10:50
      +5

      Totally agree with this. Registering a pet is just another money grab from councils.

  • Quantumcat on 20/06/2022 - 22:14

    The requirement to register is not dependent on whether or not you get a reminder, same with car registration. If it is something you have to do then you need to remember to do it yourself. Pay the fine and put a reminder in your phone for next time.

  • this is us on 20/06/2022 - 22:20
    +2

    Register your pet in NSW at friend's address (once off payment for life, it was free months ago, haven't checked since).
    Tell Council that your and/or pet moved interstate.
    Victorian council's registration fees are ridiculously expensive.

  • yellowfever on 21/06/2022 - 04:54
    +2

    Get your doggie to take a few dumps at council entry and rear staff entry

  • pegaxs on 21/06/2022 - 07:52
    +3

    Christ councils are off their heads. The fine for speeding in your car through residential streets is far less. These fines are massively disproportionate to the offence.

    I remember when Werribee council did this to me, so I just called them and reported them as deceased and they wiped the fine. I re-registered my two dogs with them about a year later as different dogs. This was before microchipping was a thing though.

  • HelpMeiCantSee on 21/06/2022 - 08:08
    +5

    Not cool. Councils can eat a fat one. Tell them it’s a working dog and to go kick rocks. I’m astounded by the amount of government overreach (local in this case) that people are ok with.

    This absurdity HAS to stop.

    • lew380 on 21/06/2022 - 12:18
      +2

      We are descended from convicts with IQ's of goldfish, we are paying double tax to the government and no one seems to realise.

      • HelpMeiCantSee on 22/06/2022 - 08:54
        +1

        I have never doubted the stupidity of the masses. A person is smart, but people are dumb.

        Taxes for a pet. Seriously wtf has the world come to…

  • gumbo45c on 21/06/2022 - 08:49

    Fight it. I saw a very recent case where a parking fine with extra fees was beaten as the council couldn't prove that the plaintiff had received the fine. The guy had to pay the fine, but not the extra fees.

    • Quantumcat on 21/06/2022 - 09:40

      In this case it is something that has to be paid regularly and OP forgot, rather than an unexpected one-off that they couldn't have known about except through receiving the fine

  • Stevek1960 on 21/06/2022 - 09:06
    +1

    Australia post are useless, I got a letter post marked 22nd of feb on June 15 for a hospital appointment on the 9th of may

    • pegaxs on 21/06/2022 - 10:56

      The amount of times I have had parcels stuck at Chullora for weeks at a time. My local postie us awesome, but the backend getting the parcels to him is broken.

  • ColtNoir on 21/06/2022 - 12:10
    +1

    Do you have to pay annual renewals in VIC?
    I think I paid $58 for a lifetime rego in NSW for a desexed animal.

    • hazzad on 21/06/2022 - 12:38

      Yes it's annual In Vic to my knowledge.

  • lew380 on 21/06/2022 - 12:17
    +4

    Why are you paying the government, to let you have a pet? They tax your income, then tax your pets. Just don't tell them you brought a pet. Us australians are an incredibly stupid people group.

    • CauseNEffect on 21/06/2022 - 17:46

      Then your pet gets euthanized when it escapes or you get a huge fine.

      • lew380 on 21/06/2022 - 17:54
        +2

        Sounds like we have a problem with a corrupt and dysfunctional council, vote them out.

        • CauseNEffect on 21/06/2022 - 19:37
          -1

          Laws.. not council related. It's called loving in a society sometimes we have to do things that are best for everyone not just oneselves. Responsible pets owners register their pets.

          • rektrading on 21/06/2022 - 19:53
            +2

            @CauseNEffect:

            Responsible pets owners register their pets.

            Responsible pet owners are punching bags for revenue raisers.

          • lew380 on 22/06/2022 - 13:42
            +1

            @CauseNEffect: We have to pour money down the throats of the government to be loving? Is this the only solution to any problem? More money to the most corrupt people currently on the planet. How many more centuries do we need till we understand that government are not in the business of solving most problems.

            • CauseNEffect on 22/06/2022 - 16:00

              @lew380: Some are corrupt in councils, sure, you can vent tour concerns at the next council town hall. I'd love to see you say this to the elected officials. I doubt there is any gifting going on in the pet registration/ management areas.. feel free to provide evidence to back up for these claims.

              A onetime fee to ensure that you are a responsible pet owner (desexing your pet) is hardly extortion. Nobody likes giving away money to the governance but there are benefits in doing so.

              Some people care what happens to their pets and see them as family members..

              Your pet gets free and lost whislt unregistered and it's a lottery if you see them again.. that's a big deal for some humans..

              • lew380 on 25/06/2022 - 11:24

                @CauseNEffect: If you want that, thats fine, I'm not against insurance, but forcing it on everyone and enforcing insane fines like your pet will explode and kill people if you don't pay up. Thats the problem.

    • rektrading on 21/06/2022 - 17:59
      +2

      Some people have no backbone and like to get fk over by the gov.

      They ⏰ up in the morning and 🙏 for more taxes.

  • rektrading on 21/06/2022 - 17:55
    +1

    Pet registration? How 😭.

    • CauseNEffect on 14/07/2022 - 20:32

      And then the finest increase until you end up in court.. not worth the stress imo.

  • plague69 on 21/07/2022 - 22:12

    VCAT the council if you feel it's unfair. Worst case, loose another $70 for application

  • lamparnon77 on 23/07/2022 - 00:53

    I totally would

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