Work & Development Order Program

Are you struggling to pay off fines?
Unpaid fines can really hurt. They can result in increasing debt, loss of driver  licence and car  registration, a portion of wages being taken by the State Debt Recovery Office (SDRO) or  property  being taken by the  Sheriff.

For people who are unable to pay, fines debt can also impact on their health and wellbeing, their relationships and their ability to find employment.

Now there is a simple and practical way to be free of  unpaid fines and the negative consequences that go with them.

What is a Work and Development Order (WDO)?

WDOs allow people to clear their fines through unpaid work, courses  or treatment such as counselling.

WDOs are made by the State Debt Recovery Office.

A person can only get a WDO if their application is supported by an “approved organisation” or an “approved registered health practitioner” and the Blue Mountains Women’s Health & Resource Centre is an “approved organisation”

Who is eligible for a WDO?

The WDO scheme is available to anyone who is having trouble paying off their fines because they are homeless, have a mental illness, intellectual  disability or cognitive impairment or because they are experiencing acute economic hardship.

What sort of activities can be undertaken by WDO participants?
The scheme is very broad and many  different activities can be undertaken as part of a WDO.

They include:

. Unpaid voluntary work
. Medical or mental health treatment
. Educational, vocational or life skills courses
. Counselling and therapy
. Financial counselling
. Drug and alcohol treatment
. Mentoring programs (but only for young people under 25)
. Case management
. Any combination of these activities

Fines are worked off at different hourly rates depending on the activity.  For example a medical or mental health treatment plan, or drug and alcohol treatment, will  reduce the debt by up to $1000 a month, as long as the client  complies with the plan.