An increase in the maximum penalty for an offence from 25 years to life imprisonment affects sentencing across the entire range of offending, not merely sentences at the upper echelon of seriousness. Any disparity between sentences imposed after the increase and those imposed in comparable cases before the increase may be explicable by the increased seriousness with which the offending is now regarded. For possession of a trafficable quantity of methylamphetamine with intent to sell or supply, where the offending involves over six times the trafficable quantity at high purity, commercial purpose, and commission while on parole for similar offences, a sentence of 7 years' imprisonment (after a 25% guilty plea discount) is within range.
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