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Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Student says 'I'd do it again' after court battle over paying parking ticket with cash
Oliver Griffiths, a fourth-year law student, received a $97 fine after parking his car at his Australian university campus this year, but decided to contest the charge A determined student who landed in court after attempting to pay for his parking with cash has stood by his decision to challenge his fine. Oliver Griffiths, a staunch advocate for physical currency, was hit with a $97 penalty after parking his motor at his Australian university campus this year, but chose to fight the charge. He did so on the basis that he'd tried to pay in cash but couldn't locate a parking meter that would take it. Despite this, Oliver, a fourth-year law student, lost his battle at Wollongong Local Court. The 21-year-old ended up stumping up the original fine plus $98 in court costs, but the principled student remains defiant about his choice. In fact, he insists that he would take identical action even if he knew "100 per cent" that the result wouldn't be favourable. He told Yahoo Finance: "If I knew the outcome was going to be 100 per cent guilty, which I kind of did anyway, before I took on the challenge, I'd do it again. It's such an important principle to stand by." He continued: "Regardless of the outcome, the trial was given exposure to nearly 1.5 million people. The issue has gained heaps of support for cash to be protected, and that momentum in itself is a win." The UoW reportedly introduced a cashless system whereby drivers could download an app called CellOPark to pay digitally, but the user's payment isn't withdrawn each time they park. It would be a particular annoyance for Oliver, as the system would issue a bill at the end of the month, while Oliver claimed there were times when he was "short on digital cash" due to bills and other payments. CellOPark took $40 from his account, leading to a restriction on his card. Angered by this, Oliver decided to place $10 on his dashboard and a note requesting that payment be made in cash. He alleged that the university had done away with all cash-accepting machines, but the University of Wollongong (UoW) refuted this claim, stating that some machines still exist in certain areas of the campus. The university maintained that it "still retains" cash-accepting machines, highlighting their availability at the "four major casual" car parks on campus, and added that card machines serve as an alternative to the app. When the student ultimately had his day in court, he said he was "upset" to find himself there despite having "tried to pay for a parking ticket." He argued that by leaving cash and a note explaining his predicament, he had gone "above what most people do." However, he faced questioning from the prosecution, which pointed out that Oliver hadn't actually paid for his parking despite his apparent efforts. Magistrate David Williams replied that there was "no evidence" that Oliver had tried to get in touch with the parking inspector headquarters, the main office, or sought alternative parking. Oliver's battle underscores a broader debate about the overall decrease in cash usage in society. He has even voiced his backing for a requirement that essential services accept and keep cash.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gen Z student fights $97 parking fine amid growing Aussie trend: 'This is wrong'
A young law student is fighting a $97 parking fine he copped at his university campus because he said he wasn't able to pay with cash. Oliver Griffiths loves cash, and he was frustrated when the University of Wollongong (UOW) "streamlined and simplified" its systems by introducing an app where you could pay for parking. The 21-year-old gave the app, CellOPark, a whirl, but discovered it didn't charge him every time he parked, and instead bulk-billed him at the end of the month. Griffiths told Yahoo Finance this had an unintended impact on his finances. "I linked it to my transaction account, thinking it would come out that day, but once I paid for everything through the month, it deducted like $40... but there wasn't $40 in my account at the time," he said. Cashless concern as date Australia will ditch physical currency revealed Common $358 a day expense the ATO lets you claim on tax without receipts Hallway photo reveals urgent $141,000 property price warning as interest rates dropped He said it's not uncommon for him to be "short on digital cash" due to bills, textbooks and other payments. This $40 deduction ended up putting a restriction on his debit card, which left him furious. Griffiths normally carries around a few dollars in coins, which he said would easily be able to pay for his parking for a few hours, but claimed the cash parking meters have been stopped using CellOPark and opted for a sign on his car that said he would happily pay to park his car if he could use cold, hard cash. Unsurprisingly, he copped a $97 parking fine and had a deadline of Wednesday, May 20, to pay it. Some Aussie councils have sparked backlash from members of the community after introducing cashless parking meters in the same way as UoW. Instead of paying the infringement or complaining to the powers that be at the UoW, he's putting his knowledge of the law to the test and fighting it. "In my legal research, there was a case in the 1800s that established the concept of legal tender," he told Yahoo Finance. "If you owe someone a debt and something is legal tender, you have to accept that you can't refuse repayment via legal tender." He admitted the introduction of digital payments in the last few decades had muddied that precedent a bit. But the student also plans on drawing on a recent case from Germany, where two men tried to pay for their TV license with cash but were knocked back. While it didn't work out well for the duo, the case helped the Court of Justice of the European Union confirm the common definition of legal tender for future cases. Griffiths is planning on first contesting the fine in the local court. If he loses, he can appeal, which could escalate it to a higher court. The fourth-year law student said he's prepared to keep going through that process until it reaches the highest court possible. It could end up setting a national precedent on cash He's crowdfunding to help with legal costs. "I'm a uni student, right?" he said. "I can't afford thousands of dollars for lawyers to make an argument for me. It's just a working man against Goliath. "If I lose, at the end of the day, I can live my life going, you know what, I actually went to the court and I said, 'This is wrong. I don't agree with it'. "I'm standing up for something I believe in. If you don't have principles or convictions, then what's the point?" A spokesperson for the university told Yahoo Finance the introduction of the CellOPark payment app resulted in a reduction of the number of parking ticket machines across the campus. "However, UOW still retains parking ticket machines that accept cash, including at each of the four major casual car parks on the Wollongong Campus," they said. "There are also card-only machines, which provide another alternative to CellOPark." They added that cash payments comprised of less than 1 per cent of all transactions for parking, and more than 80 per cent of parking payments are done through the app. Griffiths disputed the claim that there are still cash parking meters available. "I've gone to every parking meter on campus to try and find one," he said. "I'm very happy to have a staff member escort me to a ticket machine to find out where I can pay. "The last time I tried to pass a boom gate to pay cash in the sports parking area, they let me through for free and told me they do not accept cash." UOW said the CellOPark app provided a more "flexible" payment system for students because you would only pay for the time you were there, rather than fork out for a full or half-day rates. Most people around Griffiths' age have grown up with digital payments being the norm, however this 21-year-old said cash is very important to him. "One of the big things I learned when I became an adult was just how much tapping your card chips away at your account," he said. "And you don't get to see that, and you you lose track of how much you're spending." He uses cash mainly as a budgeting tool as being able to hold his money gives him a much bigger appreciation for it. This was backed up by research last year that confirmed using cash can help you save more money because you're more conscious of your spending. Working part-time at his local Aldi, Griffiths said many customers have talked to him about cash and the different ways it benefits them, from pensioners who don't like digital payments, to those experiencing coercive control from their partners. But he's been dismayed at the rapid societal transition away from cash in favour of digital payments like using your card or smart device. "I think businesses have lost how they view currency exchange, and they see it more as a cost rather than a service, particularly in the banking industry," he told Yahoo Finance. Banks have been closing branches and removing ATMs because customers overwhelmingly prefer to do get their banking needs met online. He's a big believer in essential services like banks, supermarkets, fuel stations and car parks being forced to accept cash. "If you're in an essential industry, there are people that rely on cash," he said. "It's a security net for people to be able to engage in the economy and buy the things they need." The student believes a car park constitutes an essential service because there are only so many available and it's not normal to have another one with a different payment structure next door. The government is working on introducing legislation that would force essential businesses to always accept and carry cash, and hoped to have it installed by next while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data
