Many Commonwealth laws use the concept of a penalty unit as a measure to quantify the fine imposed.

From 31 July 2015, the value of a penalty unit increased from $170 to $180 as a result of the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Penalty Unit) Act 2015 (Cth), which received Royal Assent on 26 June 2015.

The Act also introduced a mechanism for the amount to be indexed (by CPI) every three years, starting 1 July 2018.

The increase applies to offences committed on or after 31 July 2015.

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