Requesting a work and development order
Part of the Fines topic
Understand work and development orders and how they might help you pay your SPER debt.
On this page
In short
A work and development order can help you to pay State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) debts. There are certain conditions you must follow to be eligible, and you need to have an approved hardship partner.
What you should know
If you are experiencing hardship and can't pay your SPER debt by the due date you may be eligible for a work and development order.
Who is eligible
You may be eligible if you are experiencing:
- mental illness
- domestic and family violence
- homelessness
- intellectual and cognitive disability
- substance use disorder
- financial hardship.
Finding a hardship partner
You will need to find an approved hardship partner to support you. They will:
- help you with the process of requesting a work and development order
- assess your eligibility
- apply on your behalf.
A hardship partner is an approved community organisation or financial or health practitioner. They provide services or activities that can be included in a work and development order.
They can help you by creating an activity or treatment plan. They also track your progress and report to SPER each month on what activities you’ve done.
Activities include:
- educational, vocational and life-skill courses
- financial and other counselling
- medical, mental health and substance-use disorder treatment
- mentoring programs (for under 25s)
- unpaid work
- culturally appropriate programs in rural and remote communities.
Some debts, including compensation and restitution, can't be included in a work and development order. You still need to pay these debts.
Conditions of a work and development order
If approved, you must:
- do the activities or treatment plan as advised by the hardship partner
- notify your hardship partner if your address or contact details change.
If you do not complete all the requirements of your order, it may be cancelled and you’ll have to pay the rest of your debt. This may affect your ability to get another work and development order in the future.
If your circumstances change and you can pay the debt, you must do one of the following:
- tell your hardship partner
- contact us to pay
- apply for a payment plan.
If you're injured while completing your order, let your hardship partner know and they’ll tell you what to do next. You will not receive credit towards your SPER debt if you cannot carry out the activities of your order.