According to the latest budget handed down last night from Treasurer Joe Hockey, penalty units (ie. fines) for breaching federal laws are set to rise from $170.00 to $180.00 (per unit) from 31 July 2015.
The maximum penalty for a breach of the Fair Work Act 2009 is:
- 300 penalty units for a corporation; and
- 60 penalty units for an individual.
This means that corporations and individuals may now face fines of up to $54,000 and $10,800 respectively.
The government has also announced that it intends to introduce ongoing indexation of penalty units based on the Consumer Price Index (to occur on 1 July every three years).
If you would like further information on employment, industrial relations and OH&S, please contact:
Louise Houlihan
Principal
Sladen Legal
03 9611 0144
lhoulihan@sladen.com.au
or
Joanna Bandara
Associate
Sladen Legal
03 9611 0196
jbandara@sladen.com.au