A Canberra driver, Robert Scott, has been left baffled after receiving two speeding fines in the post for offences allegedly committed nearly 19 years ago, in 2007. Mr Scott, now 42, says he has no memory of the incidents and was never previously notified, despite registering multiple vehicles and being stopped by police since without any flag on his record. The case raises broader questions about the fairness of enforcing decades-old penalties and whether administrative failures within government systems should be borne by citizens.

Mr Scott was allegedly caught speeding on Hindmarsh Drive on 22 April and 25 May 2007, with each infringement carrying a $167 fine. Access Canberra told him the notices would originally have been sent in 2007, and explained that old fines can resurface when duplicate customer accounts are merged, such as after a licence renewal or address change. Lawyer Hayder Shkara said Mr Scott should challenge the fines rather than pay them outright, arguing it is unreasonable to expect anyone to reconstruct events from nearly two decades ago, though he noted a long delay does not automatically void a valid, unpaid fine.