Melbourne council accused of 'ripping off’ residents with parking fine cover-up

Sky News host James Macpherson says a Melbourne council is being accused of “concocting a fantastic story” to cover their backs over a bungled attempt to “rip off” ratepayers. Residents of Malane St in Ormond arrived home yesterday to find cars parked out on the street had been slapped with $96 parking fines. “Outraged residents contacted the Glen Eira City Council yesterday and today received an email where the council told them that someone had tampered with the parking signs,” Mr Macpherson said. “The council withdrew the fines and quickly got rid of the signs but local residents smelt a rat. “Unknown fraudsters ... erected parking signs and parking inspectors just happened to turn up at this off the way street where parking restrictions had never been enforced to start issuing tickets.”