{"id":"monetary-units-act-2018","name":"Monetary Units Act 2018","slug":"monetary-units-act-2018","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":30271,"registerId":"nt-monetary-units-act-2018-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Monetary Units Act 2018","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nMONETARY UNITS ACT 2018\nAs in force at 1 July 2022\nTable of provisions\nPart 1 Preliminary matters\n1 Short title ......................................................................................... 1\n2 Commencement .............................................................................. 1\n3 Definitions ........................................................................................ 1\nPart 2 Principal matters\n4 Application ....................................................................................... 1\n5 Reference to monetary unit ............................................................. 2\n6 Calculation of monetary unit ............................................................ 2\n7 Application of monetary unit ............................................................ 3\n8 Notifying new amount of monetary unit ........................................... 3\nPart 3 Transitional matters for Revenue\nLegislation Amendment and Repeal\nAct 2022\n9 Application of change in value of monetary unit .............................. 3\nENDNOTES\n\n\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAs in force at 1 July 2022\n____________________\nMONETARY UNITS ACT 2018\nAn Act to establish monetary units as a method of expressing an\nindexed amount of money for use under the Local Courts (Criminal\nProcedure) Act 1928 and such other legislation as may be determined\nPart 1 Preliminary matters\n1 Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Monetary Units Act 2018.\n2 Commencement\nThis Act commences on the day fixed by the Administrator by\nGazette notice.\n3 Definitions\nIn this Act:\nCPI figure for Darwin means the Consumer Price Index: All\nGroups Index Number for Darwin published by the Australian\nStatistician under the authority of the Census and Statistics\nAct 1905 (Cth).\nmonetary unit, is the amount, in dollars, calculated in accordance\nwith section 6.\nquarter, of a calendar year, means the period of 3 months ending\nat the end of March, June, September or December in that year.\nPart 2 Principal matters\n4 Application\nThis Act applies to:\n(a) the Local Courts (Criminal Procedure) Act 1928; and\n\nPart 2 Principal matters\nMonetary Units Act 2018 2\n(b) any provision in another Act or subordinate legislation that\nrefers to an amount of money that is expressed as a number\nof monetary units.\n5 Reference to monetary unit\nA reference to an amount of money that is expressed as a number\nof monetary units is a reference to the product of that number and\nthe amount of a monetary unit calculated in accordance with\nsection 6 and applied in accordance with section 7.\n6 Calculation of monetary unit\n(1AA) Despite section 5, the amount of a monetary unit is:\n(a) $1.04 for the financial year ending on 30 June 2023; and\n(b) the amount calculated in accordance with subsections (1)\nand (2) for the financial years following 30 June 2023.\n(1) The formula to calculate a monetary unit is:\nA = B x C\nD\nwhere:\nA is the amount, in dollars, of a monetary unit for the financial year\nfor which the calculation is made.\nB is $1.00.\nC is the average of the CPI figures for Darwin for each of the\n4 quarters of the calendar year immediately preceding the financial\nyear for which the calculation is made.\nD is the average of the CPI figures for Darwin for each of the\n4 quarters of the calendar year 2016.\n(2) The amount of a monetary unit, calculated in accordance with the\nformula in subsection (1), is to be rounded down to 2 decimal\nplaces.\nExample for subsection (2)\nIf A is calculated to equal $1.129, A is then rounded down to 2 decimal places to\nthe value of $1.12.\n\nPart 2 Principal matters\nMonetary Units Act 2018 3\n7 Application of monetary unit\n(1) The amount calculated under section 6 only applies as the amount\nof a monetary unit for a financial year if it is equal to or greater than\nthe amount calculated for the previous financial year.\n(2) If the amount calculated under section 6 is less than the amount\ncalculated for the previous financial year, the amount of the\nmonetary unit for the financial year is the amount applicable in the\nprevious financial year.\n(3) The amount of a monetary unit takes effect on 1 July of each year\nand applies only in respect of matters occurring during that financial\nyear.\n8 Notifying new amount of monetary unit\n(1) If the amount of a monetary unit for the next financial year will be\ngreater than the amount for the current financial year, the Chief\nExecutive Officer must, by Gazette notice, publish the new amount\nof the monetary unit before 1 July.\n(2) However, a failure to do so does not affect the operation of\nsection 7.\nPart 3 Transitional matters for Revenue Legislation\nAmendment and Repeal Act 2022\n9 Application of change in value of monetary unit\n(1) The amendment made to this Act by the Revenue Legislation\nAmendment and Repeal Act 2022 applies to matters occurring on\nor after 1 July 2022.\n(2) This Act, as in force immediately before 1 July 2022, continues to\napply to matters occurring before 1 July 2022.\n\nENDNOTES\nMonetary Units Act 2018 4\nENDNOTES\n1 KEY\nKey to abbreviations\namd = amended od = order\napp = appendix om = omitted\nbl = by-law pt = Part\nch = Chapter r = regulation/rule\ncl = clause rem = remainder\ndiv = Division renum = renumbered\nexp = expires/expired rep = repealed\nf = forms s = section\nGaz = Gazette sch = Schedule\nhdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision\nins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation\nlt = long title sub = substituted\nnc = not commenced\n2 LIST OF LEGISLATION\nMonetary Units Act 2018 (Act No. 17, 2018)\nAssent date 6 September 2018\nCommenced 1 November 2018 (Gaz G40, 3 October 2018, p 7)\nRevenue Legislation Amendment and Repeal Act 2022 (Act No. 15, 2022)\nAssent date 30 June 2022\nCommenced 1 July 2022 (s 2)\n3 GENERAL AMENDMENTS\nGeneral amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the table\nof amendments to this reprint) are made by the Interpretation Legislation\nAmendment Act 2018 (Act No. 22 of 2018) to: s 4.\n4 LIST OF AMENDMENTS\ns 6 amd No. 15, 2022, s 4\npt 3 hdg exp No. 17, 2018, s 15\nins No. 15, 2022, s 5\ns 9 exp No. 17, 2018, s 15\nins No. 15, 2022, s 5\npt 3\ndiv 1 hdg exp No. 17, 2018, s 15\ns 10 exp No. 17, 2018, s 15\npt 3\ndiv 2 hdg exp No. 17, 2018, s 15\nss 11 – 14 exp No. 17, 2018, s 15\npt 3\ndiv 3 hdg exp No. 17, 2018, s 15\ns 15 exp No. 17, 2018, s 15","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: establishing an inflation-indexed monetary unit system for expressing amounts in NT legislation. While the 2022 amendment added a fixed value for 2022-23 and transitional provisions, this was a technical adjustment to implementation timing rather than an expansion of scope. The Act still only applies to the Local Courts (Criminal Procedure) Act 1928 and other legislation that expressly opts in."},"complexity_factors":["Only 9 operative sections across 3 short Parts","Simple mathematical formula with 4 defined variables (A, B, C, D)","Only 3 defined terms in the interpretation section (CPI figure for Darwin, monetary unit, quarter)","Single cross-reference to the Local Courts (Criminal Procedure) Act 1928","Straightforward anti-deflation safeguard (section 7) preventing the unit value from decreasing","Minimal conditional logic — essentially one formula, one rounding rule, and one floor mechanism","Transitional provisions limited to a single section with basic before/after date split"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis Northern Territory law creates a system called \"monetary units\" — a way to automatically adjust dollar amounts in legislation so they keep up with inflation (rising prices).\n\n**How it works:**\n- Instead of laws listing specific dollar amounts (like \"$500\"), they can list amounts in \"monetary units\" (like \"500 monetary units\")\n- The value of one monetary unit is calculated each year based on Darwin's Consumer Price Index (CPI) — a measure of how much everyday goods and services cost\n- The formula compares current prices to 2016 prices, using $1.00 as the base\n- The value can only go up or stay the same — it never decreases, even if prices fall\n- The new value takes effect on 1 July each year\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Currently applies to the **Local Courts (Criminal Procedure) Act 1928** (fines and penalties in criminal cases)\n- Can also apply to any other NT law that chooses to use monetary units instead of fixed dollar amounts\n\n**Why it matters:**\nWithout this system, fines and financial penalties written into laws become \"stale\" — they lose their bite over time as inflation erodes their real value. This law ensures penalties stay meaningful without Parliament having to manually update every dollar figure every year.\n\n**Special note:** The law was tweaked in 2022 to set a specific value ($1.04) for 2022-23, rather than using the formula for that year."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act's core scope — establishing an indexed monetary unit for use in the Local Courts (Criminal Procedure) Act 1928 and any other Territory provisions that adopt monetary units (s 4) — remains the same. Amendments in 2022 modified the calculation mechanics (introducing a fixed $1.04 for 2022–23 via s 6(1AA) and added transitional clarification in Part 3, s 9) but did not materially expand the classes of laws or transactions governed by the monetary unit."},"complexity_factors":["Short Act (9 operative sections plus definitions and a transitional clause)","3 defined terms in s 3 (CPI figure for Darwin, monetary unit, quarter)","Single arithmetic formula in s 6 with clear variables (A = B x C / D)","Special override for 2022–23 in s 6(1AA)","Rounding rule (round down to 2 decimals) in s 6(2)","Non-decrease floor for year-to-year unit changes in s 7(1)–(2)","Annual timing rule (takes effect 1 July each year) in s 7(3)","Publication obligation with non-fatal failure rule in s 8","Cross-reference to an external data source (ABS CPI for Darwin) in s 3"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does (mechanics)\n\n- It creates a standing monetary ‘‘unit’’ (a dollar amount) that other Territory laws can use when they say a penalty, fee or similar charge is ‘‘X monetary units’’ rather than a specific dollar figure (see s 4 and s 5).\n- The monetary unit is calculated each year by indexing $1.00 to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Darwin, using the average of the four quarters in the calendar year before the financial year, divided by the 2016 calendar-year average CPI for Darwin (s 6(1)). The result is rounded down to 2 decimal places (s 6(2)).\n- For the 2022–23 financial year the monetary unit is fixed at $1.04 (s 6(1AA)(a)); from 2023–24 onwards the formula in s 6(1) and s 6(2) applies (s 6(1AA)(b)).\n- The monetary unit can never fall in value from one financial year to the next: if the formula would produce a lower dollar amount than the previous year, the unit stays at the prior year’s amount (ss 7(1)–(2)). The annual amount takes effect on 1 July and applies only to matters that happen during that financial year (s 7(3)).\n- If the monetary unit increases for the next year, the Chief Executive Officer must publish the new dollar amount in the Gazette before 1 July (s 8). Failure to publish does not invalidate the change (s 8(2)).\n- The Act expressly applies to the Local Courts (Criminal Procedure) Act 1928 and to any other Act or subordinate legislation that refers to amounts expressed in monetary units (s 4).\n\n\nWho this affects and why it matters\n\n- Who pays: individuals or entities required to pay amounts set by Territory laws that are expressed in monetary units — most commonly fines, small court fees or prescribed penalties. The real-dollar amounts they owe will move with the CPI for Darwin each year, subject to the non-decrease rule (s 4, s 5, s 7).\n- Who decides: the Australian Bureau of Statistics supplies the CPI data (the CPI figure for Darwin as defined in s 3); the Chief Executive Officer publishes (in the Gazette) the annual dollar amount if it increases (s 8); the Administrator determines commencement by Gazette notice (s 2).\n- Why it matters: using a monetary unit lets the Territory index many small-dollar statutory amounts to inflation by reference, without amending each law individually. This automates inflation adjustments (s 6) and reduces the need for recurrent legislative change.\n\n\nPurpose claims and practical tests\n\n- Official purpose claim: to establish an indexed monetary unit for use in the Local Courts Act and other laws (long title; s 4). Put simply: the law aims to replace fixed dollar figures in multiple provisions with a single indexed unit so amounts stay up to date with inflation.\n\n- Costs and incentives: indexing shifts the burden of keeping statutory dollar amounts current from Parliament to an automatic formula. That reduces legislative workload (opportunity cost saved) but also reduces the political salience of year-to-year changes in fines/fees. The unit cannot fall (ss 7(1)–(2)), so when the CPI falls the statutory dollar amounts remain steady rather than decrease — this protects government receipts from deflation but prevents real reductions for payers.\n\n- Trade-offs and effects on private choice: private parties lose the ability to insist on a permanently fixed statutory figure (some predictability is still retained because the unit changes only annually and is publicised). Businesses and individuals facing penalties should expect amounts to track Darwin inflation upward over time.\n\n- Implementation risk and compliance burden: low. Calculation uses published ABS CPI data for Darwin (s 3); rounding rules and a non-decrease floor are simple. The only administrative action required is Gazette publication when the unit increases (s 8); failing to publish does not nullify the change (s 8(2)).\n\n- Bureaucratic discretion: limited. The formula is mechanical and depends on an external index. The only discretion is the administrative timing of Gazette publication and the Administrator’s power to set commencement (ss 2, 8).\n\n- Effects on public revenue and distribution: indexing tends to preserve (and slowly increase) real revenue from fines/fees when the CPI rises. The rounding-down rule (s 6(2)) slightly reduces each calculated increase compared to exact CPI movements.\n\n\nOther practical details and risks\n\n- The Act ties indexing to the Darwin CPI specifically (s 3). If the Territory wanted a different inflation measure, or national CPI, the Act would need amendment.\n- The dollar amount is applied only to events occurring during the financial year (s 7(3)); this limits retrospective or prospective application beyond the year boundaries.\n- A temporary fixed value of $1.04 for 2022–23 (s 6(1AA)(a)) was inserted by amendment; transitional wording clarifies which version applies to matters before and after 1 July 2022 (Part 3, s 9).\n\n\nBottom line (mechanical, not political)\n\n- The Act creates a simple, annually adjusted monetary unit based on Darwin CPI for use in Territory laws (notably the Local Courts (Criminal Procedure) Act). It automates inflation adjustments, prevents year-to-year reductions in the unit, requires administrative publication of increases, and contains a short transitional provision for the 2022–23 year (ss 4–9)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/monetary-units-act-2018","history":"/api/acts/monetary-units-act-2018/history","analysis":"/api/acts/monetary-units-act-2018/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/monetary-units-act-2018/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/monetary-units-act-2018/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/monetary-units-act-2018/documents"}}