![]() ![]() ![]() More: Want enhanced clarity on the news? Join text chat with USA TODAY's expert fact-checkers. The tactics officials may use include: garnishing bank accounts or wages, suspending driver’s licenses and registering charges over property. Wage garnishment is a legal procedure in which a court permits a creditor to collect money from someone's bank account or salary to repay a debt. The State Penalties Enforcement Registry is tracking down 3,046 unpaid fines totaling $5.2 million, according to an Australian news site owned by News Corp. People who refuse police direction to wear a face mask can be fined $206. The confusion on social media appears to stem from measures the government in Queensland, a different state, is taking against citizens who haven't paid fines for violating other pandemic-related rules.Īccording to state rules, Queensland residents and corporations can be fined thousands of dollars for intentionally sneezing or coughing on a public official or worker. However, fines may be issued to people who provide false or misleading vaccination records.įact check: Image purporting to show COVID-19 vaccine appointments and organ donation sign is altered It says residents who fail to meet the requirement will not be fined. 1 requiring 1.25 million authorized workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of November. Andrews said those who fall under the order and refuse to get vaccinated will not be allowed to go to work, according to the Guardian.Īndrews' order makes no mention of freezing bank accounts. The Victoria government released an order Oct. There is no nationwide COVID-19 vaccine requirement in Australia, but some businesses and states have their own mandates in place. "The Australian government is not freezing the bank accounts of people who do not get vaccinated against coronavirus," the statement says. In a statement emailed to USA TODAY, a spokesperson for Australia's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet said the claim in the post is wrong. ![]() The Facebook post wrongly conflates the enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandates with the collection of fines associated with other pandemic-related rules. Australia is not freezing bank accounts of unvaccinated USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the claim for comment. But that action is aimed at collecting unpaid COVID-19 fines, not punishing those who are unvaccinated against the virus. It's true that some states in Australia have considered garnishing bank accounts. Similar versions of the claim, which specifically mention Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews, have been shared on Rumble, Twitter, Reddit and YouTube, where one video accumulated more than 29,000 views within nearly two weeks.įact check: No evidence Australia limited internet access after anti-lockdown protests 31 Facebook post that accumulated more than 300 reactions within a few days. “Australia PM of Victoria is free/zing people’s bank accts who haven’t had the V, they can’t buy or sell until forced into submission,” reads an Oct. Watch Video: If you had COVID and were double vaccinated you may not need a booster The claim: Australians unvaccinated against COVID-19 will have their bank accounts frozenĪs countries across the globe take different approaches to vaccinate people against COVID-19, some social media users claim the Australian government is targeting citizens' bank accounts. ![]()
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