Councils in Australian capital city rake in $226 million in parking fines in just one year

Councils in one Australian city are raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in parking fines each year – but some drivers are being stung worse than others.

Sydney's councils earned more than $226 million in parking tickets, around $25,798 every hour, during the financial year ending in June 2024.

In the figures obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald, drivers were stung with millions worth of fines across 32 councils in the NSW capital and the size of fines vary from region to region.

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Drivers in the Central Coast region were hit with the worst fines, averaging $278 per parking ticket, according to the Revenue NSW data.

Camden was a close second at $257 per ticket, with Canterbury-Bankstown third at $232 per fine.

The City of Sydney council pinged drivers with the most fines in the past financial year at an average of $166 per ticket.

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Just over $45 million worth of parking tickets were issued to drivers in the city, with most being given in the CBD, Surry Hills and Darlinghurst areas where parking is limited.

A spokesperson for the City of Sydney defended the high rate of fines and said it was to "enforce charges or time restrictions to encourage fair turnover of spaces".

Ryde and Liverpool councils had the smallest average fines at $155 per ticket.

Among the 125 types of parking violations in NSW, the most common offences are failing to pay for parking, parking for longer than indicated or disobeying a no-stopping sign.

It's expected fines will ramp up during the Christmas and summer season as shoppers and beachgoers battle for spaces across the city.

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