During Tuesday’s meeting, 28 October, Yarra Ranges Council confirmed it will offer refunds for a small number of parking and animal-related infringements, after an internal audit identified technical errors.
It was discovered during the development of the Domestic Animal Management Plan and People and Dogs in Parks Plan that three separate Council Orders had not been gazetted appropriately, nor was there evidence of the orders being advertised in local newspapers.
At the council meeting, Councillor Mitch Mazzarella put forward the motion to update the shire’s domestic animal rules to replace the old orders that hadn’t been officially published. Councillor Gareth Ward agreed with the idea, and the council voted to approve it unanimously.
“This is similar to what has been happening with parking fines through the audit,” Cr Mazzarella said.
“It’s been discovered a number of domestic animal orders were not gazetted properly, and as a result, they’ll be refunded in a similar way to the parking fines. These ones aren’t quite as old, going back to 2014, but supporting the motion ensures we get it right.”
Cr Ward said it was important the council had proactively identified the incorrect charges and was now taking steps to rectify them.
“It’s really good that we’ve actually identified these incorrect charges and now we’re taking the steps to rectify them and issue the refunds,” Cr Ward said.
According to a media release sent by the Yarra Ranges Council, the audit found some technical issues with parking infringements issued between July 2005 and July 2025 and animal-related infringements from January 2014 to February 2023.
There were a total of 463 cat at large or not securely confined infringements and 13 breach council order dogs/cats public place infringements issued during these years, with a cost of $38,534 in refunds expected.
While parking infringements remain valid, some were incorrectly charged due to how fine increases were documented. Animal-related infringements issued since 2013 were not valid because of incorrect wording in public notices.
The council is now offering full refunds for affected animal infringements.
Residents can apply for a refund via a secure online form on the council’s website from Wednesday 5 November.
Applications can be made over the next 12 months, and applicants will need to provide basic details about their infringement and payment.
Yarra Ranges chief executive officer, Tammi Rose said the council apologised for any inconvenience caused.
“This issue was identified through an internal audit and we will be contacting affected individuals directly where possible,” Ms Rose said.
“We are also inviting residents who believe they may have been impacted to apply for a refund. Importantly, we are taking steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Mayor Jim Child reaffirmed the council’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
“Good governance means owning our mistakes, acting transparently, and putting our community first, and that’s exactly what we’re doing here,” Cr Child said.
Residents seeking more information or wishing to apply for a refund can visit yarraranges.vic.gov.au/InfringementRefundScheme, visit a Community Link, or call 1300 368 333.
