Robert Scott was expecting registration papers for his new vehicle. Instead, the Macgregor resident opened his mailbox on Monday to find himself stunned by a pair of ghosts from his past: two speeding fines from 2007, issued nearly two decades after the alleged offences.
"It was notices for two speeding fines from 2007. It was before I even started dating my wife," said the 42-year-old landscape artist, who was left in disbelief over the twin $167 notices now due for payment.
Looking closely at the freshly issued paperwork from Access Canberra, Mr Scott noticed an October 2026 deadline for offences dated April 22 and May 25, 2007, both for exceeding the 80kmh speed limit on Hindmarsh Drive.
"I was looking at the notice and thinking, 'Why would I be driving at 1:30 am' That's when my wife, Erin, said, 'look at the date, the year is 2007'," Mr Scott recalled. "I have 28 days to pay a speeding fine from nearly 20 years ago."
After jogging their memories, the couple recalled that Mr Scott had owned a Ford ute during that period, likely matching the registration listed on the notices.
"I sold the Ford in 2008 or 2009. I've bought multiple vehicles since, renewed my driver's licence, and paid regular regos. Why am I only being reminded of a fine now?" he asked, baffled by the 19-year delay.
Mr Scott, who runs local business Street Appeal Landscaping, was forced to take time off work on Wednesday afternoon to seek answers at Access Canberra in Belconnen.
What he assumed was a simple system error turned out to be what authorities allege is a ghost from the past.
Mr Scott said staff at Access Canberra told him that the department had recently "merged multiple profiles" of his into one.
"The main profile was created in 2003, and a second profile was created in 2006. Most of my interactions have been under the main profile, but these two infringements were under the sub-profile, so only got recently resent now they have merged both profiles," he said.
He had to fill in a form hoping to have the nearly two-decade-old fines overturned.
According to an ACT government spokesperson, there are several reasons an outdated notice might be dispatched.
"When a customer updates their address or renews their driver's licence with Access Canberra, the vehicle registration system can automatically reissue any pending notices or correspondence for that individual. When two customer accounts are merged, the system can again be prompted to reissue any pending notices or correspondence."
The spokesperson noted that duplicate client records frequently arise, with one often being a historical file.
"The identification of duplicate client accounts often occurs when an individual engages with Access Canberra and staff identify the duplicate."
Merging client accounts includes a review of any outstanding or pending matters for that individual. Staff typically discuss any historical notices with the individual during that process.
However, even when those discussions occur, merging a historical account with a current profile updates contact details, which in certain circumstances prompts the automated system to reissue old correspondence.
"Generally, there are processes in place to catch this type of reissued correspondence before it occurs," the spokesperson said.
Any ACT resident who receives an outdated infringement notice can contact Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
Access Canberra withdrew the two infringement notices Thursday morning after a formal request from Mr Scott and this masthead's report. They notified Mr Scott via email that "no payment is required."
