79AEnforcement and recovery of certain fines

79A Enforcement and recovery of certain fines

(1) If:

(a) a fine has been imposed on a person for:

(i) an offence against section 44AAFB, 45AF or 45AG, subsection 56BN(1) or 56BZI(1) or section 154Q or 155; or

(ii) an offence against section 149.1 of the Criminal Code that relates to Part XID; and

(b) the person defaults in payment of the fine;

a Court may:

(c) exercise any power that the Court has apart from this section with respect to the enforcement and recovery of fines imposed by the Court; or

(d) make an order, on the application of the Minister, the Commission or (in the case of an offence against section 44AAFB) the AER declaring that the fine is to have effect, and may be enforced, as if it were a judgment debt under a judgment of the Court.

(2) Where a person in relation to whom an order is made under subsection (1) in respect of a fine gives security for the payment of the fine, the Court shall cancel the order in respect of the fine.

(3) Where the Court makes an order in relation to a person in respect of a fine, the Court may, at any time before the order is executed in respect of the fine, allow the person a specified time in which to pay the fine or allow the person to pay the fine by specified instalments, and, in that case:

(a) the order shall not be executed unless the person fails to pay the fine within that time or fails to pay an instalment at or before the time when it becomes payable, as the case may be; and

(b) if the person pays the fine within that time or pays all the instalments, as the case may be, the order shall be deemed to have been discharged in respect of the fine.

(4) Subject to subsection (7), an order under subsection (1) in respect of a fine ceases to have effect:

(a) on payment of the fine; or

(b) if the fine is not paid—on full compliance with the order.

(5) The term of a sentence of imprisonment imposed by an order under a law of a State or Territory applied by section 15A of the Crimes Act 1914 (including an order described in subsection 15A(1AA) of that Act) in respect of a fine shall be calculated at the rate of one day’s imprisonment for each $25 of the amount of the fine that is from time to time unpaid.

(6) Subject to subsection (7), where a person is required to serve periods of imprisonment by virtue of an order or orders under subsection (1) in respect of 2 or more fines, those periods of imprisonment shall be served consecutively.

(7) Subject to subsection (8), where:

(a) a person would, but for this subsection, be required by virtue of an order or orders under subsection (1) in respect of 3 or more fines to serve periods of imprisonment in respect of those fines exceeding in the aggregate 3 years; and