Penalty units indexed amounts

Penalty units

Penalty units are used to work out the amount payable for fines for offences, such as drink driving and fishing offences.

Infringement notice

An infringement notice, or fine, is a penalty for breaking the law. The infringement notice sets out the details of an alleged offence. It gives the person who has been issued the notice the choice of either paying the penalty set out in the notice or having the matter dealt with by a court.

• The penalty amount to be paid for offences such as drink driving and fishing offences, is expressed in penalty units.
• For example, if an offence carries a two-penalty unit fine, the dollar amount of the fine will be $426.00 (as at 1 July 2026).

How penalty units are calculated

Penalty units are set and calculated through the Penalty Units and Other Penalties Act 1987. Penalty units are indexed each year, based on consumer price index (CPI) movements in the previous year.

Value of Indexed Amounts by Law

Values given on this page are published in the Tasmanian Government Gazette (the Gazette) before 1 July each year for the next financial year.

From 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027

• The value of one penalty unit is $213.

Personal injury

Damages for non-economic loss

The Civil Liability Act 2002 is the statute that applies in Tasmania for personal injury cases.

• The amount to which damages for non-economic loss is limited is adjusted in $500 increments, based on consumer price index (CPI) movements in the previous year.
• The value of the amount is published in the Gazette before 1 July each year for the next financial year.

Personal injury unit values for non-economic loss

• Amount A If the value is not a multiple of $500, it is rounded to the nearest multiple of $500.
• Amount B is five times ‘Amount A’, and is used in the calculations of the amount to which damages for non-economic loss is limited in any given year.
• The value of the amount is published in the Gazette before 1 July each year for the next financial year.

From 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027

• Amount A is $7,500 and
• Amount B is $37,500.

Defamation

Damages for non-economic loss

The Defamation Act 2005 aims to provide remedies to protect a person’s reputation against harm through the publication of defamatory material.

The Act also provides against placing unreasonable limits on freedom of expression and publication and discussion of matters of public interest or importance.

• Section 35 of the Defamation Act 2005 provides for the periodic indexation of the amount to which damages for non-economic loss is limited.
• The value is calculated by the percentage change in the amount estimated by the Australian Statistician of the average weekly total earnings of full time adults in Australia over the four quarters preceding the date of the declaration. The revised figure is rounded to the nearest multiple of $500.
• The Act requires that on or before 1 July each year, the Minister is to publish an order in the Gazette specifying the value of the amount that is to apply from the date specified in the order.

Defamation indexed amount for non-economic loss

From 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 the amount is

• $520,000.

Jurisdictional Limits in various Tasmanian Acts

Variation of Trusts Act 1994

The Variation of Trusts Act 1994 allows the Attorney-General to vary charitable trusts where the value of the trust does not exceed certain amounts.

Approval to vary trusts which exceed those limits must be sought from the Supreme Court.

Section 7 of the Act sets out the monetary limits of the Attorney-General's powers but provides that alternative amounts may be prescribed by regulation.

Prescribed Limits

By the Variation of Trusts Regulations 2024, from 10 December 2024 the prescribed amount in relation to any trust property is $500,000, whether that property consists of, or includes, real property or personal property.

Magistrates Court (Civil Division) Act 1992

The Magistrates Court (Civil Division) Act 1992 gives the Magistrates Court jurisdiction to deal with civil claims that:

1. fall within the Court's prescribed monetary limit ($50,000, see section 3 of the Act); or
2. are "minor civil claims" as defined by section 3.

Matters over this jurisdictional limit instead fall within the Supreme Court's jurisdiction.

The Magistrates Court's civil jurisdiction includes ‘minor’ civil claims (Act section 7).

The Magistrates Court (Civil Division) (Minor Civil Claims) Regulations 2023 prescribe $15,000 (inclusive) as the monetary limit for such ‘minor civil claims’.

Prescribed Limits

In addition, regulations can prescribe matters as minor civil claims. The Magistrates Court (Civil Division) (Minor Civil Claims) Regulations 2023 prescribe the following:

1. proceedings for damages under the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 if the amount claimed does not exceed $15,000;
2. proceedings under any provision of the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 that confers a right to apply to, or appeal to, the Court;
3. proceedings under any provision of the Irrigation Clauses Act 1973 that confers a right to apply to, or appeal to, the Court;
4. proceedings under any provision of the Access to Neighbouring Land Act 1992 that confers a right to apply to, or appeal to, the Court.

Historical data

• The penalty amount to be paid for most Tasmanian offences such as drink driving fines and fishing offences is expressed in penalty units.
• A penalty unit value is adjusted every year based on consumer price index (CPI) movements in the previous year.
• The penalty unit value is published in the Gazette before 1 June each year for the next financial year, whether or not the value is to be increased.
• For more information, read the Penalty Units and Other Penalties Act 1987.

Civil Liability Act 2002

• The amount to which damages for non-economic loss is limited is adjusted in $500 increments, based on consumer price index (CPI) movements in the previous year.
• Amount A If the value is not a multiple of $500, it is rounded to the nearest multiple of $500.
• Amount B is five times 'Amount A' and is used in the calculations of the amount to which damages for non-economic loss is limited in any given year.
• The value of the amount is published in the Gazette before 1 July each year for the next financial year.
• For more information, read the Civil Liability Act 2002.

Defamation Act 2005

• Section 35 of the Defamation Act 2005 provides for the periodic indexation of the amount to which damages for non-economic loss is limited.
• The value is calculated by the percentage change in the amount estimated by the Australian Statistician of the average weekly total earnings of full-time adults in Australia over the four quarters preceding the date of the declaration. The revised figure is rounded to the nearest multiple of $500.
• The Act requires that on or before 1 July each year, the Minister is to publish an order in the Gazette specifying the value of the amount that is to apply from the date specified in the order.
• For more information, read the Defamation Act 2005.