After all, the population is higher than the other communities. You would have to look at the population of the community, the fines in total, and the number of people that have the debt. 

Julia Creek and McKinlay have the lowest amount of SPER debt on the list of 11 Gulf and North West communities provided by the Treasurer’s office, but that’s not the same as saying the postcode has the lowest SPER debt in the North West and central Queensland. There were too many postcodes belonging to minor communities that were not provided on the list. 

You’ve also got to take into account the nature of SPER debt. It may be different in Mornington Island as compared to, well, let’s say Richmond. SPER debt isn’t always about crime and sometimes it can be affected by trivial council punishments. But what can happen is people oblivious to their SPER debt start driving, even though the Queensland Government disqualifies the licence. These people seem surprised when the police stop them and charge them, and before they know it end up in the local magistrates court system. I’ve often seen it happen, sitting in the back seat of the Mount Isa Magistrates Court room. The defendant says they did not know their licence was disqualified because of some fine given to them by the local council. And then the magistrate, such as Mount Isa’s Stephen Guttridge, will repeatedly explain the circumstance and how to avoid it. Basically – pay the SPER debt. Still, more than a billion dollars in SPER debt is owed to the Queenland Treasury. Imagine what could happen or how it may benefit the state overall if it was immediately paid by everyone.