Penalty unit explained

A penalty unit (PU) is a standard amount of money used to compute penalties for many breaches of law in Australia at both the federal, and state and territory level. Fines are calculated by multiplying the value of a penalty unit by the number of units prescribed for the offence. For example, if a crime was committed in New South Wales worth 100 units, the fine would be .

Prior to the introduction of penalty units, fines and other charges were usually prescribed in terms of ordinary money. However, the effects of inflation meant that originally substantial penalties eventually lost their worth. Frequent amendment of the many laws and regulations dealing with pecuniary penalties would be a very time-consuming process. Penalty units provide a quick and simple way to adjust many different fees and charges.

Values

The different jurisdictions that make up Australia each set their own value of a penalty unit. The value as well as the manner and frequency of adjusting that value differ between jurisdictions.

Jurisdiction	Penalty unit value	Last updated	Automatic indexation mechanism
Federal	[1]	1	Every three years on 1 July, based on the All Groups Consumer Price Index, a weighted average of the CPI for all capital cities.[2]
Victoria	[3]		Annual on 1 July.
New South Wales	[4]		None., the value remains unchanged from the original Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999.[5]
Queensland	[6]		Annual on 1 July.
Tasmania	[7]		Annual on 1 July, based on CPI.
Northern Territory	[8]		Annual on 1 July, based on CPI for Darwin.
Australian Capital Territory	(individual)[9]		Every four years.
	(companies)
Western Australia	Various	—	Penalty units are set for different categories of legislation.[10] Traffic offences generally incur a penalty unit of .[11]
South Australia	Not applicable	—	South Australia does not have a system of penalty units. Instead, legislation either lists specific fine amounts or maximum "divisional penalties" which form a standard scale.[12] [13]

See also

• Standard scale

Notes and References

1. Web site: 28 June 2023 . Crimes (Amount of Penalty Unit) Instrument 2023 . 1 November 2023 . Federal Register of Legislation (Australia).
2. Web site: 6 October 2023 . Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), section 4AA (Penalty units) . 1 November 2023 . Federal Register of Legislation (Australia).
3. Web site: Penalties and values . 21 July 2024 . Department of Justice and Community Safety Victoria . en.
4. Web site: Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 No 92, section 17 (Penalty units). NSW Legislation. 26 September 2019. 11 July 2020.
5. Web site: Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 No 92, section 17 (Penalty units). NSW Legislation. 8 December 1999. 11 July 2020.
6. Web site: Sentencing fines and penalties for offences. Queensland Government. 5 July 2018. 21 August 2023.
7. Web site: Value of Indexed Amounts in Legislation . 21 July 2024 . Department of Justice (Tasmania).
8. Web site: 5 July 2021 . Penalty units . 21 July 2024 . Department of the Attorney-General and Justice (Northern Territory).
9. ,.
10. Web site: Crimes Amendment (Penalty Unit) Bill 2017. McKay. Daniel. Parliament of Australia. 28 March 2017. 11 July 2020.
11. Web site: Driving offences (speeding, alcohol and traffic). Department of Transport (Western Australia). 13 June 2019. 11 July 2020.
12. Web site: Acts Interpretation Act 1915, section 28A (Standard scales for penalties and expiation fees). South Australian Legislation. 3 October 2017. 11 July 2020.
13. Web site: Divisional penalties and fees. Attorney-General's Department (South Australia). 11 July 2020.