A plucky student who ended up in court after trying to pay for his parking in cash has defended his decision to fight his fine. Oliver Griffiths, a committed defender of physical currency, received a $97 fine after parking his car at his Australian university campus this year, but decided to contest the charge.
He did so on the grounds that he’d attempted to pay in cash but couldn’t find a parking meter that accepted it. Despite this, Oliver, a fourth-year law student, lost his battle at Wollongong Local Court. The 21-year-old ended up paying the original fine and $98 in court costs, but the principled student stands by his decision. In fact, he claims that he would take the same action even if he knew “100 per cent” that the outcome wouldn’t be positive.
He told Yahoo Finance: “If I knew the outcome was going to be 100 per cent guilty, which I kind of did anyway, before I took on the challenge, I’d do it again. It’s such an important principle to stand by.
“Regardless of the outcome, the trial was given exposure to nearly 1.5 million people. The issue has gained heaps of support for cash to be protected, and that momentum in itself is a win.”
The UoW reportedly brought in a cashless system whereby motorists could download an app called CellOPark to pay digitally, but the user’s payment isn’t withdrawn each time they park.
It would be a particular annoyance for Oliver, as the system would issue a bill at the end of the month, while Oliver claimed there were times when he was “short on digital cash” due to bills and other payments.
CellOPark took $40 from his account, leading to a restriction on his card. Angered by this, Oliver decided to place $10 on his dashboard and a note requesting that payment be made in cash.
He claimed that the university had removed all cash-accepting machines, but the UoW refuted this, stating that some are still in operation in parts of the campus.
The university insisted it “still retains” cash-accepting machines, noting that they are available at the “four major casual” car parks on campus and that card machines are offered as alternatives to the app.
When the student ultimately had his day in court, he said he was “upset” to find himself there despite having “tried to pay for a parking ticket.”
He argued that, since he had left cash and a note explaining his situation, he had gone “above what most people do.” Yet he faced a grilling from the prosecution, which pointed out that Oliver had not actually paid for his parking despite his apparent efforts.
Magistrate David Williams responded that there was “no evidence” that Oliver had attempted to contact the parking inspector headquarters, the main office, or tried to find alternative parking.
Oliver’s fight highlights a wider conversation about the general decline of cash use in society. He has even expressed support for a requirement that vital services accept and hold cash.
