Section 4K(4) of the Crimes Act (Cth) does not authorise the imposition of a single global sentence for multiple indictable Commonwealth offences; each offence must be sentenced individually in accordance with Pearce v The Queen. Where a money laundering offence under s 400.4(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth) is used in a highly technical manner to cover an offender's use of proceeds from their own frauds (rather than true money laundering), the maximum penalty of 20 years is not a reliable guide to the seriousness of the conduct, and comparable sentences for true money laundering offences are misleading. A discount for assistance beyond the plea of guilty is not warranted where the assistance is of no real value to the authorities.
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