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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Henry Belot

Russian diplomats in Australia refuse to pay $90,000 in traffic fines dating back 15 years

United States Australia DFAT Alexey Pavlovsky
Russian ambassador to Australia Alexey Pavlovsky
Dfat’s chief of protocol wrote to Russian ambassador Alexey Pavlovsky (pictured) in late 2022, politely urging him to pay the overdue traffic fines. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Russian diplomats have refused to pay hundreds of overdue speeding, parking and traffic fines dating back more than 15 years, frustrating Australian officials who can only politely ask that they respect local laws.

Freedom of information documents obtained by Guardian Australia indicate the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) is chasing almost $90,000 from the Russian embassy for fines dating back to 2007, despite repeated requests for diplomats to respect the law.

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