More Than 3,600 Children ‘Targeted’ With COVID-19 Fines in Australian State

Some fines were as high as $5,000, the report noted .

Police conduct public health order compliance checks as people arrive at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 15, 2021. Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Legal advocacy groups are calling for reform of the New South Wales (NSW) fines system after 3,628 children received COVID-19 fines during the pandemic in the Australian state.

A 2024 report looking into children and COVID-19 fines in NSW found that the “penalty notice regime” implemented in NSW was “unsuitable” for achieving public health outcomes for children.