Woman caught in bureaucratic blame game over speeding fine in mystery truck

Imagine being stung for speeding in a place you've never been, in a truck you don't own and facing penalties upwards of $6500.

Danielle Maughan, 52, received a $574 speeding fine in the mail for a truck travelling along the Great Western Highway in the country NSW town of Hartley - a six-hour drive from Maughan's home in Baranduda near Wodonga in Victoria.

Maughan also received a letter from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator for failing to stop at a truck safety station, which can carry fines of more than $6000 if paperwork and logbooks aren't handed over.

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The mystery truck was registered in Maughan's name and for weeks she struggled to clear her name through both VicRoads and NSW Revenue.

"I've never had a speeding fine, I've never had a parking ticket and I've had some health issues that I'm dealing with, so I really didn't need this on top," Maughan told A Current Affair.

"How do you prove you never owned something that you never owned?"

Maughan said she was in Melbourne on the day in question.

"Thankfully I had an appointment in Melbourne's CBD with my partner at that exact time that this offence occurred," she said.

The former bank manager said she had proof of her train ticket that day and email correspondence for the meeting on the same day.

"None of this makes sense... I've done nothing wrong," she said.

"When I spoke to Revenue NSW, I said to them, 'How am I supposed to prove that I'm not the registered owner of a truck that I've never owned?'

"Their response was, 'Not sure, but the onus is on you'."

When Maughan contacted Legal Aid for advice, she was told to go through the courts.

"I've been told that I would need to fight this matter in court at my expense and it would be at a courthouse closest to where this incident occurred," she said.

The Lithgow Court House is also a six-hour drive from Maughan's home.

During a phone call with VicRoads, Maughan said she was told it was a "clerical error" but she couldn't access any more information because it was a "breach of privacy".

"I don't have any association with a trucking company. Never have," Maughan said.

"I don't have a heavy licence, just use your common sense."

Lawyer Justin Lawrence from Henderson and Ball described Maughan's situation as "the meat in a bureaucratic sandwich".

"When the system burps out an error like this there's a clear problem and the issue really arises from the fact that Victoria doesn't talk to New South Wales, nor vice versa."

Maughan has refused to front court and Lawrence agrees that's the best course of action.

"I think she's entitled to say, 'Nonsense, I don't have to go anywhere - you need to withdraw the fine'," Lawrence said.

"It's also wasting the court's time, and that's the bit that the court is going to hate, because the magistrate is going to sit there and say, how on earth has this come before me?

"The problem is that the system relies not on human beings anymore, but on machines.

"And that's why the onus has been reversed, where she now has to prove that she didn't do it, rather than saying to them, 'Well, you need to prove that I did'."

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Hours after A Current Affair contacted VicRoads and Revenue NSW, Maughan's name was no longer registered to the truck and all fines were wiped.

A grateful Maughan said she was worried about other victims that might not know how to navigate the system or be able to contact A Current Affair for help.

"I can't surely be the only person that this has happened to and I've at least got support here at home and enough courage to take on the bureaucrats," she said.

"It's still wearing me down, but there's got to be people that don't even have that strength."

In a letter sent to Maughan from VicRoads today, it confirmed the administration error but said it was only for a "short period on 27 December 2023 and no other days".

Maughan was fined on September 12 this year, which doesn't stack up with VicRoads' explanation.

FULL REVENUE NSW STATEMENT

VicRoads provided incorrect information to Revenue NSW, resulting in a fine being issued to the wrong person.

After again raising the issue with VicRoads, they provided the correct and valid information, allowing the fine to be withdrawn.

As Revenue NSW does not have access to VicRoads' systems, their information cannot be independently verified for accuracy.

Revenue NSW has been in contact with the individual and advised that the matter has been withdrawn.