A mystery Queenslander has been given the dubious honour of having the highest number of outstanding debts to the State Penalties Enforcement Register.
The debtor has 1532 unpaid debt items, mostly tolling fines, totalling $388,857, a parliamentary committee report reveals.
Their other debts relate to vehicle, parking, speeding, driving and other offences.
But even that paled in comparison to the largest amount owed, $671,745, which related to a single court-ordered fine.
The SPER debt has ballooned to almost $1.18 billion, with 762,000 debtors in the system.
In the 2016-17 financial year (to February 28), 750,000 enforcement orders were made, 87,000 driver's licences were suspended, 75 vehicle immobilisation warrants were issued and 27 enforcement warrants to seize and sell property were issued.
But $16.5 million was written-off over the past five financial years after the debtors died.
The government has introduced a bill that would offer more options to people suffering hardship in paying their SPER debts.
The State Penalties Enforcement Amendment bill would introduce work and development orders as a non-monetary option for people to satisfy their debts to SPER, a government body that collects unpaid fines and court orders in Queensland.
People would be able to apply for work and development orders if they were experiencing financial hardship, mental illness, an intellectual disability, homelessness, a substance abuse disorder or domestic violence.
Currently, Treasury considers people are in hardship if they are from a remote community, are on Centrelink benefits, are homeless, have a long-term medical condition, are a victim of natural disaster or have been recently released from custody.
But Finance and Administration Committee chairman Peter Russo said the eligibility should be extended to allow a "catch all" provision so some people, such as those with a gambling addiction or unexpected illness, did not miss out.
"There was widespread support for the introduction of the work and development orders," Mr Russo said in the committee's report on the bill.
As at February, SPER conservatively estimated 63,000 debtors were in hardship, owing $180 million, which represents 15 per cent of the debt pool.
The committee recommended the bill be passed but be amended to allow a "catch all" provision for eligibility for the work and development orders.
The bill would allow qualified professionals from not-for-profit community organisations, government agencies and health services to register with SPER as approved sponsors for WDOs.
The WDOs would include unpaid work; medical or mental health treatment; an educational, vocational or life skills course; financial or other counselling; drug or alcohol treatment; mentoring for people under 25 years old or a culturally-appropriate program for Indigenous people from remote areas.
In response to concerns, Treasury said SPER would make sure the guidelines meant people who did not meet the eligibility criteria for financial hardship would be allowed to apply for special consideration.
The bill will also allow for documents to be sent via email, giving people more chances to see the debt. Many people complained to the committee that they did not receive notices in the post.
In a statement of reservation, the LNP members of the committee described as "preposterous" that the measures could be resourced from existing government budgets.
"[It] means either the current government budgets have too much excess fat in them or other government budgeted programs will have to be sacrificed to financially support the cost burden created by enacting the outcomes of the duties created by the passage of this bill," deputy chairman Ray Stevens wrote.
Mr Stevens also said there was a divide between people in metropolitan and regional areas being able to access the work and development order services and work off their debt.
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