Meaning of penalty unit | Babel Free

Definitions

An amount of money, used as a basis of a penalty fine, which can be adjusted by the government without the need to pass new legislation.

Australia

Equivalents

Examples

“In 1987 the Penalty Units and Other Penalties Act introduced a new scheme for financial penalties. The penalty provisions in a number⟳ of Acts containing commonly occurring offences were amended to specify⟳ the fine in penalty units rather than a specific sum. The value of a penalty unit is specified in the Penalty Units and Other Penalties Act, s 4, currently at $100. All offences now specify⟳ fines in penalty units.”

“Usually an Act sets a maximum fine or penalty for a particular offence, measured in penalty units, which have⟳ a monetary equivalent. For example, under Section 46(2) of the Road Safety Act 1986, ‘a person who fails to stop⟳ the vehicle when requested or signalled is guilty of an offence. Penalty: eight penalty units’.”

“A person must not use⟳ a listening device to record⟳ a private conversation to which the person is a party. Where an individual breaches this provision, the person may be liable to a fine of 50 penalty units ($5,000). Where the offence is committed by a corporation, the corporation may be liable to a fine of 50 penalty units ($25,000).”

CEFR level