2013-2014-2015 

 

The Parliament of the 

Commonwealth of Australia 

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

 

 

 

 

Presented and read a first time 

 

 

 

 

Crimes Legislation Amendment (Penalty 

Unit) Bill 2015 

 

No.      , 2015 

 

(Attorney-General) 

 

 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the Crimes Act 1914, and 

for related purposes 

   

   

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Crimes Legislation Amendment (Penalty Unit) Bill 2015 

i 

 

Contents 

1 

Short title ........................................................................................... 1

 

2 

Commencement ................................................................................. 1

 

3 

Schedules ........................................................................................... 2

 

Schedule 1--Amendments

 

3

 

Crimes Act 1914

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Crimes Legislation Amendment (Penalty Unit) Bill 2015 

1 

 

A Bill for an Act to amend the Crimes Act 1914, and 

1 

for related purposes 

2 

The Parliament of Australia enacts: 

3 

1  Short title 

4 

 

  This Act may be cited as the Crimes Legislation Amendment 

5 

(Penalty Unit) Act 2015. 

6 

2  Commencement 

7 

 

(1)  Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table 

8 

commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with 

9 

column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect 

10 

according to its terms. 

11 

 

12 

   

   

 

 

2 

Crimes Legislation Amendment (Penalty Unit) Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Commencement information 

Column 1 

Column 2 

Column 3 

Provisions 

Commencement 

Date/Details 

1.  Sections 1 to 3 

and anything in 

this Act not 

elsewhere covered 

by this table 

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent. 

 

2.  Schedule 1 

31 July 2015. 

31 July 2015 

Note: 

This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally 

1 

enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of 

2 

this Act. 

3 

 

(2)  Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. 

4 

Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it 

5 

may be edited, in any published version of this Act. 

6 

3  Schedules 

7 

 

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or 

8 

repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule 

9 

concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect 

10 

according to its terms. 

11 

Amendments  Schedule 1 

   

 

 

No.      , 2015 

Crimes Legislation Amendment (Penalty Unit) Bill 2015 

3 

 

Schedule 1

--Amendments 

1 

   

2 

Crimes Act 1914 

3 

1  Subsection 3(1) (definition of quarter) 

4 

Repeal the definition, substitute: 

5 

quarter means a period of 3 months ending on 31 March, 30 June, 

6 

30 September or 31 December. 

7 

2  Subsection 4AA(1) (definition of penalty unit) 

8 

Repeal the definition, substitute: 

9 

penalty unit means the amount of $180 (subject to indexation 

10 

under subsection (3)). 

11 

3  Subsection 4AA(1A) 

12 

Repeal the subsection, substitute: 

13 

 

(1A)  If the amount of a penalty unit is indexed under subsection (3), the 

14 

Minister must, by notifiable instrument, publish the amount of a 

15 

penalty unit. However, a failure by the Minister to do so does not 

16 

invalidate the indexation. 

17 

4  At the end of section 4AA 

18 

Add: 

19 

Indexation of penalty unit 

20 

 

(3)  On 1 July 2018 and each third 1 July following that day (an 

21 

indexation day), the dollar amount mentioned in subsection (1) is 

22 

replaced by the amount worked out using the following formula: 

23 

Indexation factor

Dollar amount 

for the indexation day

immediately before the indexation day

 

24 

 

(4)  The indexation factor for an indexation day is the number worked 

25 

out using the following formula: 

26 

Schedule 1  Amendments 

   

 

 

4 

Crimes Legislation Amendment (Penalty Unit) Bill 2015 

No.      , 2015 

 

Index number for the reference quarter

Index number for the base quarter

 

1 

where: 

2 

base quarter means the March quarter 3 years before the reference 

3 

quarter. 

4 

index number, for a quarter, means the All Groups Consumer 

5 

Price Index number (being the weighted average of the 8 capital 

6 

cities) published by the Australian Statistician for that quarter. 

7 

March quarter means a quarter ending on 31 March. 

8 

reference quarter means the March quarter immediately before the 

9 

indexation day. 

10 

 

(5)  An indexation factor is to be calculated to 3 decimal places 

11 

(rounding up if the fourth decimal place is 5 or more). 

12 

 

(6)  Amounts worked out under subsection (3) are to be rounded to the 

13 

nearest whole dollar (rounding 50 cents upwards). 

14 

 

(7)  Calculations under subsection (4): 

15 

 

(a)  are to be made using only the index numbers published in 

16 

terms of the most recently published index reference period; 

17 

and 

18 

 

(b)  are to be made disregarding index numbers that are published 

19 

in substitution for previously published index numbers 

20 

(except where the substituted numbers are published to take 

21 

account of changes in the index reference period). 

22 

Application of indexed penalty unit 

23 

 

(8)  If the dollar amount mentioned in subsection (1) is increased in 

24 

accordance with subsection (3), the increased amount only applies 

25 

to offences committed on or after the indexation day. 

26 

5  Application of item 2 

27 

 

The amendment made by item 2 of this Schedule applies in relation to 

28 

an offence committed on or after the commencement of this item. 

29