The doubling of the maximum penalty for water pollution offences under the POEO Act (from $125,000 to $250,000) does not mean courts should simply double the penalty that would have been imposed under the former regime. The proper approach remains to assess the relative seriousness of the particular offence against the worst case for which the new maximum is provided, correlating the penalty on the scale from zero to the maximum. The increase in penalty is indicative of the legislature's reflection of community standards regarding the seriousness of the offence.
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