Start formula start fraction Index number for the reference quarter over Index number for the base quarter end fraction end formula
where:
base quarter means the March quarter 3 years before the reference quarter.
index number, for a quarter, means the All Groups Consumer Price Index number (being the weighted average of the 8 capital cities) published by the Australian Statistician for that quarter.
March quarter means a quarter ending on 31 March.
reference quarter means the March quarter immediately before the indexation day.
(5) An indexation factor is to be calculated to 3 decimal places (rounding up if the fourth decimal place is 5 or more).
(6) Amounts worked out under subsection (3) are to be rounded to the nearest whole dollar (rounding 50 cents upwards).
(7) Calculations under subsection (4):
(a) are to be made using only the index numbers published in terms of the most recently published index reference period; and
(b) are to be made disregarding index numbers that are published in substitution for previously published index numbers (except where the substituted numbers are published to take account of changes in the index reference period).
Application of indexed penalty unit
(8) If the dollar amount mentioned in subsection (1) is increased in accordance with subsection (3), the increased amount only applies to offences committed on or after the indexation day.
4AB Conversion of pecuniary penalties expressed in dollar amounts to penalty units
(1) A reference in a law of the Commonwealth or in a Territory Ordinance to a pecuniary penalty of D dollars, where D is a number, is taken to be a reference to a pecuniary penalty of P penalty units, where P is:
(a) if D 100 is a whole number—that whole number; or
(b) if D 100 is not a whole number—the next highest whole number.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a reference to the maximum amount of a penalty that is not imposed by a court, or by a service tribunal under the Defence Force Discipline Act 1982.
(3) Subsection (1) does not apply to:
(a) section 76 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010; or
(c) a provision of a law of the Commonwealth prescribed for the purposes of this subsection.
(4) In this section:
penalty includes a fine.
Territory Ordinance has the same meaning as in section 4AA.
4B Pecuniary penalties—natural persons and bodies corporate
(1) A provision of a law of the Commonwealth relating to indictable offences or summary offences shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be deemed to refer to bodies corporate as well as to natural persons.
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(2) Where a natural person is convicted of an offence against a law of the Commonwealth punishable by imprisonment only, the court may, if the contrary intention does not appear and the court thinks it appropriate in all the circumstances of the case, impose, instead of, or in addition to, a penalty of imprisonment, a pecuniary penalty not exceeding the number of penalty units calculated using the formula:
Start formula Term of Imprisonment times 5 end formula
where:
Term of Imprisonment is the maximum term of imprisonment, expressed in months, by which the offence is punishable.
(2A) Where a natural person is convicted of an offence against a law of the Commonwealth in respect of which a court may impose a penalty of imprisonment for life, the court may, if the contrary intention does not appear and the court thinks it appropriate in all the circumstances of the case, impose, instead of, or in addition to, a penalty of imprisonment, a pecuniary penalty not exceeding 2,000 penalty units.
(3) Where a body corporate is convicted of an offence against a law of the Commonwealth, the court may, if the contrary intention does not appear and the court thinks fit, impose a pecuniary penalty not exceeding an amount equal to 5 times the amount of the maximum pecuniary penalty that could be imposed by the court on a natural person convicted of the same offence.
(3A) Where an Act (whether enacted before or after the commencement of this subsection) confers power to make an instrument (including rules, regulations or by‑laws but not including a law of a Territory) and specifies the maximum pecuniary penalty that can be imposed for offences created by such an instrument, then:
(a) unless the contrary intention appears, the specified penalty is taken to be the maximum penalty that the instrument can prescribe for such offences by natural persons; and
(b) where a body corporate is convicted of such an offence—the specifying of that penalty is not to be treated as an indication of a contrary intention for the purposes of applying subsection (3).
(4) Where under a law of the Commonwealth any forfeiture, penalty or reparation is paid to a person aggrieved, it is payable to a body corporate where the body corporate is the person aggrieved.
4C Offences under 2 or more laws
(1) Where an act or omission constitutes an offence:
(a) under 2 or more laws of the Commonwealth; or
(b) both under a law of the Commonwealth and at common law;
the offender shall, unless the contrary intention appears, be liable to be prosecuted and punished under either or any of those laws of the Commonwealth or at common law, but shall not be liable to be punished twice for the same act or omission.
(2) Where an act or omission constitutes an offence under both:
(a) a law of the Commonwealth and a law of a State; or
(b) a law of the Commonwealth and a law of a Territory;
and the offender has been punished for that offence under the law of the State or the law of the Territory, as the case may be, the offender shall not be liable to be punished for the offence under the law of the Commonwealth.
(3) Where an act or omission constitutes an offence against a law of a Territory, the validity of that law is not affected merely because the act or omission also constitutes an offence against a law of the Commonwealth.
4D Penalties
(1) Except so far as the contrary intention appears, a penalty, whether pecuniary or otherwise, set out at the foot of any provision of an Act as described in a paragraph of subsection (1A) indicates:
(a) if the provision expressly creates an offence—that the offence is punishable on conviction by a penalty not exceeding the penalty so set out; or
(b) in any other case—that contravention of the provision is an offence against the provision, punishable on conviction by a penalty not exceeding the penalty so set out.
(1A) Subsection (1) applies to a penalty set out:
(a) at the foot of a section of an Act; or
(b) at the foot of a subsection of an Act, but not at the foot of the section containing the subsection; or
(c) at the foot of a clause of any Schedule to an Act; or
(d) at the foot of a subclause of any Schedule to an Act, but not at the foot of the clause containing the subclause.
(1B) Subsection (1) does not affect the operation of subsection 4B(2), (2A) or (3).
(2) Subsection (1) applies to any instrument made under an Act (including rules, regulations or by‑laws but not including a law of a Territory) as if the instrument were an Act and as if each such rule, regulation or by‑law were a section of an Act.
4E Pecuniary penalties
A pecuniary penalty for an offence against a law of the Commonwealth may, unless the contrary intention appears, be recovered in any court of summary jurisdiction.
4F Effect of alterations in penalties
(1) Where a provision of a law of the Commonwealth increases the penalty or maximum penalty for an offence, the penalty or maximum penalty as increased applies only to offences committed after the commencement of that provision.
(2) Where a provision of a law of the Commonwealth reduces the penalty or maximum penalty for an offence, the penalty or maximum penalty as reduced extends to offences committed before the commencement of that provision, but the reduction does not affect any penalty imposed before that commencement.
4G Indictable offences
Offences against a law of the Commonwealth punishable by imprisonment for a period exceeding 12 months are indictable offences, unless the contrary intention appears.
4H Summary offences
Offences against a law of the Commonwealth, being offences which:
(a) are punishable by imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months; or
(b) are not punishable by imprisonment;
are summary offences, unless the contrary intention appears.
4J Certain indictable offences may be dealt with summarily
(1) Subject to subsection (2), an indictable offence (other than an offence referred to in subsection (4)) against a law of the Commonwealth, being an offence punishable by imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years, may, unless the contrary intention appears, be heard and determined, with the consent of the prosecutor and the defendant, by a court of summary jurisdiction.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply in relation to an indictable offence where, under a law of the Commonwealth other than this Act, that offence may be heard and determined by a court of summary jurisdiction.
(3) Subject to subsection (6), where an offence is dealt with by a court of summary jurisdiction under subsection (1), the court may impose:
(a) where the offence is punishable by imprisonment for a period not exceeding 5 years—a sentence of imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months or a fine not exceeding 60 penalty units, or both; or
(b) where the offence is punishable by imprisonment for a period exceeding 5 years but not exceeding 10 years—a sentence of imprisonment for a period not exceeding 2 years or a fine not exceeding 120 penalty units, or both.
(4) A court of summary jurisdiction may, if it thinks fit, upon the request of the prosecutor, hear and determine any proceeding in respect of an indictable offence against a law of the Commonwealth if the offence relates to property whose value does not exceed $5,000.
(5) Subject to subsection (6), where an offence is dealt with by a court of summary jurisdiction under subsection (4), the court may impose a sentence of imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months or a fine not exceeding 60 penalty units, or both.
(6) A court of summary jurisdiction shall not impose under subsection (3) or (5):
(a) a sentence of imprisonment for a period exceeding the maximum period that could have been imposed had the offence been tried on indictment;
(b) a fine exceeding the maximum fine that could have been imposed had the offence been so tried; or
(c) both a sentence of imprisonment and a fine if the offence is punishable on trial on indictment by a sentence of imprisonment or a fine, but not both.
(7) This section does not apply to an offence against:
(b) Division 80 (other than Subdivision CA) of the Criminal Code (treason, urging violence and advocating terrorism or genocide); or
(c) Division 82 of the Criminal Code (sabotage); or
(d) Division 91 of the Criminal Code (espionage); or
(e) Division 92 of the Criminal Code (foreign interference).
4JA Some indictable offences punishable by fine only may be dealt with summarily
(1) A court of summary jurisdiction may hear and determine an indictable offence if:
(a) the offence is not punishable by imprisonment; and
(b) the pecuniary penalty for the offence is not more than 600 penalty units for an individual or 3,000 penalty units for a body corporate; and
(c) the defendant and prosecution consent.
(2) If the defendant is convicted, the court may impose a pecuniary penalty of:
(a) not more than 60 penalty units for an individual or 300 penalty units for a body corporate if the offence would be punishable on indictment by a pecuniary penalty of not more than 300 penalty units for an individual or 1,500 penalty units for a body corporate; or
(b) not more than 120 penalty units for an individual or 600 penalty units for a body corporate if the offence would be punishable on indictment by a pecuniary penalty of not more than 600 penalty units for an individual or 3,000 penalty units for a body corporate.
However, the court may not impose a pecuniary penalty greater than the penalty that could have been imposed if the offence had been prosecuted on indictment.
(3) This section has effect subject to any contrary intention indicated by the law creating the offence.
(4) Without limiting subsection (3), this section does not apply to an indictable offence:
(a) created by a law that provides that the offence may be heard and determined by a court of summary jurisdiction; or
(b) described in subsection 4J(4) (about offences relating to property valued at $5,000 or less).
4K Continuing and multiple offences
(1) Where, under a law of the Commonwealth, an act or thing is required to be done within a particular period or before a particular time, then, unless the contrary intention appears, the obligation to do that act or thing continues, notwithstanding that the period has expired or the time has passed, until the act or thing is done.
(2) Where a refusal or failure to comply with a requirement referred to in subsection (1) is an offence against a law of the Commonwealth, a person commits an offence in respect of each day during which the person refuses or fails to comply with that requirement, including the day of a conviction for any such offence or any later day.
(3) Charges against the same person for any number of offences against the same provision of a law of the Commonwealth may be joined in the same information, complaint or summons if those charges are founded on the same facts, or form, or are part of, a series of offences of the same or a similar character.
(4) If a person is convicted of 2 or more offences referred to in subsection (3), the court may impose one penalty in respect of both or all of those offences, but that penalty shall not exceed the sum of the maximum penalties that could be imposed if a separate penalty were imposed in respect of each offence.
4L Specified defences not to preclude other defences
Where a provision of a law of the Commonwealth provides a defence to a particular offence, the provision does not, unless the contrary intention appears, prevent the use of any defence that is otherwise available.
4M Children under 10
A child under 10 years old cannot be liable for an offence against a law of the Commonwealth.
4N Children over 10 but under 14
(1) A child aged 10 years or more but under 14 years old can only be liable for an offence against a law of the Commonwealth if the child knows that his or her conduct is wrong.
(2) The question whether a child knows that his or her conduct is wrong is one of fact. The burden of proving this is on the prosecution.
6 Accessory after the fact
Any person who receives or assists another person, who has, to his or her knowledge, committed any offence against a law of the Commonwealth, in order to enable him or her to escape punishment or to dispose of the proceeds of the offence commits an offence.
Penalty: Imprisonment for 2 years.
9 Seizure and condemnation of forfeitable goods
(1) Any constable may, without warrant, seize any articles which are forfeited or which he or she has reasonable ground to believe are forfeited under any law of the Commonwealth, and take them before a court of summary jurisdiction.
(2) Where articles are taken before a court of summary jurisdiction under subsection (1), the court shall inquire into the matter and:
(a) if the court is satisfied that the articles are forfeited—shall order that the articles be condemned; or
(b) if the court is not so satisfied—shall order that the articles be delivered to such person as the court is satisfied is entitled to the articles.
(2A) A court of summary jurisdiction may, before inquiring into a matter under subsection (2), require notice of the inquiry to be given to such persons as the court thinks fit.
(3) Where any prosecution is pending, an order for the condemnation or the delivery to any persons of any articles relating thereto shall not be made until the prosecution is determined.
(4) All articles that are condemned as forfeited must be transferred to the Official Trustee to be dealt with under section 9A.
9A Forfeited articles to be dealt with by Official Trustee
Where articles are transferred to the Official Trustee under subsection 9(4), the Official Trustee must, subject to any direction by the Minister administering the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 given in a particular case:
(a) sell or otherwise dispose of the articles; and
(b) apply the proceeds of the sale or disposition in payment of the Official Trustee’s remuneration and other costs, charges and expenses of the kind referred to in section 9B payable to or incurred by it in connection with the sale or disposition; and
(c) credit the remainder of those proceeds to the Confiscated Assets Account as required by section 296 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
9B Costs etc. payable to Official Trustee
(1) The regulations may make provision in relation to:
(a) the costs, charges and expenses incurred in connection with; and
(b) the Official Trustee’s remuneration in respect of;
the performance or exercise by the Official Trustee of functions, duties or powers under section 9A.
(2) An amount equal to each amount of remuneration that the Official Trustee receives under the regulations is to be paid to the Commonwealth.
(3) Where there are no regulations in relation to a matter referred to in subsection (1):
(a) the regulations referred to in section 288 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 apply, so far as they are applicable, and with appropriate changes, in relation to the matter; and
(b) a reference in subsection (1) or (2) to regulations is taken to be a reference to the regulations referred to in section 288 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
13 Institution of proceedings in respect of offences