{"id":"penalty-units-regulations-2010","name":"PENALTY UNITS REGULATIONS 2010","slug":"penalty-units-regulations-2010","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":177090,"registerId":"nt-penalty-units-regulations-2010-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"PENALTY UNITS REGULATIONS 2010","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nPENALTY UNITS REGULATIONS 2010\nAs in force at 1 July 2025\nTable of provisions\n1 Citation ............................................................................................ 1\n2 Monetary value of penalty unit ......................................................... 1\nENDNOTES\n\n\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAs in force at 1 July 2025\n____________________\nPENALTY UNITS REGULATIONS 2010\nRegulations under the Penalty Units Act 2009\n1 Citation\nThese Regulations may be cited as the Penalty Units\nRegulations 2010.\n2 Monetary value of penalty unit\nFor section 6(1) of the Act, the monetary value of a penalty unit\nis $189.\n\nENDNOTES\nPenalty Units Regulations 2010 2\nENDNOTES\n1 KEY Key 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r = regulation/rule\ncl = clause rem = remainder\ndiv = Division renum = renumbered\nexp = expires/expired rep = repealed\nf = forms s = section\nGaz = Gazette sch = Schedule\nhdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision\nins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation\nlt = long title sub =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\nPenalty Units Regulations (SL No. 7, 2010)\nNotified 26 May 2010\nCommenced 1 July 2010 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2011 (SL No. 25, 2011)\nNotified 15 June 2011\nCommenced 1 July 2011 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2012 (SL No. 19, 2012)\nNotified 30 May 2012\nCommenced 1 July 2012 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2013 (SL No. 21, 2013)\nNotified 26 June 2013\nCommenced 1 July 2013 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2014 (SL No. 21, 2014)\nNotified 1 July 2014\nCommenced 1 July 2014 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2015 (SL No. 10, 2015)\nNotified 20 May 2015\nCommenced 1 July 2015 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2016 (SL No. 27, 2016)\nNotified 30 June 2016\nCommenced 1 July 2016 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2018 (SL No. 16, 2018)\nNotified 26 June 2018\nCommenced 1 July 2018 (r 2)\n\nENDNOTES\nPenalty Units Regulations 2010 3\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2019 (SL No. 9, 2019)\nNotified 19 June 2019\nCommenced 1 July 2019 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2020 (SL No. 11, 2020)\nNotified 17 June 2020\nCommenced 1 July 2020 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2021 (SL No. 10, 2021)\nNotified 30 June 2021\nCommenced 1 July 2021 (r 2)\nRevenue Legislation Amendment and Repeal Act 2022 (Act No. 15, 2022)\nAssent date 30 June 2022\nCommenced 1 July 2022 (s 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2023 (SL No. 14, 2023)\nDate made 13 June 2023\nCommenced 1 July 2023 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2024 (SL No. 11, 2024)\nDate made 11 June 2024\nCommenced 1 July 2024 (r 2)\nPenalty Units Amendment Regulations 2025 (SL No. 7, 2025)\nDate made 26 June 2025\nCommenced 1 July 2025 (r 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, 2018) to: r 1.\n4 LIST OF AMENDMENTS\nr 2 sub No. 25, 2011, r 4\namd No. 19, 2012, r 4; No. 21, 2013, r 4; No. 21, 2014, r 4; No. 10, 2015, r 4;\nNo. 27, 2016, r 4; No. 16, 2018, r 4; No. 9, 2019, r 4\nsub No. 11, 2020, r 4\namd No. 10, 2021, r 4; Act No. 15, 2022, s 11; No. 14, 2023, r 4; No. 11,\n2024, r 4; No. 7, 2025, r 4\nr 3 rep No. 25, 2011, r 4","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This appears to be a routine periodic amendment within the original and intended scope of the Penalty Units Regulations 2010 — adjusting the monetary value of a penalty unit. No scope creep or expansion of purpose is evident."},"complexity_factors":["Very narrow and mechanical in purpose — sets a single monetary value","No complex legal definitions or multi-step tests","Operates indirectly through reference in other legislation, which adds a layer of understanding required but is not complex in itself","Limited detail provided in the excerpt — actual new penalty unit dollar value not visible, requiring cross-referencing the gazette to confirm the change"],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation updates the dollar value of the ACT “penalty unit,” almost certainly increasing it from 1 July 2025. Because many laws specify penalties in units rather than dollars, the change raises actual fine amounts across traffic, environmental, business and other offences.\n\nThat affects individuals, businesses and compliance/legal advisers and matters because even a small unit rise multiplies across many offences, increasing what people and organisations pay."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument's scope — setting the monetary value of a penalty unit for the Penalty Units Act 2009 — has not changed. Amendments listed in the instrument adjust the numeric value and commencement dates but do not expand the regulation's functional role of fixing the dollar amount used to calculate fines (r 2; List of amendments)."},"complexity_factors":["Single substantive provision: regulation 2 sets a numeric value ($189) for a penalty unit (r 2).","Dependence on primary legislation: the regulation operates by reference to section 6(1) of the Penalty Units Act 2009 (r 2).","Series of amendments and commencement notes require tracking historic and current values (List of amendments; Endnotes).","Administrative dependency: many other offences and regulatory instruments use penalty units to determine fines, so changes have cross‑instrument effect (implicit from operation under the Act).","Low interpretive ambiguity: the provision is a clear numeric setting rather than a standards‑based rule (r 2)."],"plain_english_summary":"These Regulations set the monetary value of a penalty unit at $189 (r 2) for calculating fines under the Penalty Units Act 2009. They apply to anyone subject to Northern Territory penalties expressed in penalty units and so change the dollar cost of non‑compliance.\n\nThe dollar value is chosen by regulation and has been updated by amendment over time (list of amendments). That decision shifts monetary costs onto fined individuals and businesses and requires agencies and courts to apply the updated amount (r 2)."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation has remained true to its original purpose since 2010. It was always intended to be a simple mechanism for setting the dollar value of penalty units, and it continues to serve that exact function. The numerous amendments visible in the endnotes merely update the dollar amount (from the original $110 in 2010 to $189 in 2025) – they don't expand the scope or add new regulatory functions."},"complexity_factors":["Only 2 substantive provisions (citation and monetary value)","Zero defined terms in the operative provisions","Single cross-reference (to section 6(1) of the parent Act)","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Extremely short – the entire legal effect fits in one sentence (regulation 2)","Endnotes are purely historical/technical and don't affect legal operation"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThis is a short piece of Northern Territory law that sets a single, crucial number: **how much a \"penalty unit\" is worth in dollars**.\n\n**What is a penalty unit?**\n\nThink of a penalty unit as a standard \"currency\" for fines across Northern Territory laws. Instead of writing specific dollar amounts in every single law (like \"the fine is $500\"), Parliament writes \"the fine is 5 penalty units.\" This regulation then tells us that **one penalty unit equals $189** (as of 1 July 2025).\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **Anyone who breaks NT laws** – if you're fined for speeding, littering, or other offences, your fine is calculated using this $189 figure\n- **Courts and police** – they use this rate to calculate what you actually owe\n- **The government** – they can adjust fines across hundreds of laws at once just by changing this one number\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThis is essentially a **cost-of-living adjustment tool**. Rather than Parliament having to amend dozens of separate laws every year to keep fines in line with inflation, they just update this one regulation. The endnotes show it's been updated **15 times since 2010** – typically on 1 July each year – which suggests it's indexed to inflation or wage growth.\n\n**Key takeaway:** If a magistrate says \"that's 2 penalty units,\" they're really saying \"that's $378\" (2 × $189)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/penalty-units-regulations-2010","history":"/api/acts/penalty-units-regulations-2010/history","analysis":"/api/acts/penalty-units-regulations-2010/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/penalty-units-regulations-2010/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/penalty-units-regulations-2010/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/penalty-units-regulations-2010/documents"}}