In sentencing for conspiracy to manufacture a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, the sentence must reflect the organisational nature and overall scope of the conspiracy, not merely the physical acts performed by the individual offender. Foreign nationals' isolation from family and friends in Australian prisons is always a relevant mitigating factor, but its weight varies and cannot be isolated as a separate ground of error — it must be assessed by synthesising all relevant features and examining the end result. For a conspiracy involving precursor chemicals capable of producing over 30 times the commercial quantity of methamphetamine, sentences of 5 years' imprisonment with 3-year non-parole periods were manifestly inadequate; 8 years with 5-year non-parole periods were substituted.
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