Pecuniary penalty orders
546 Pecuniary penalty orders
The Federal Court, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) or an eligible State or Territory court may, on application, order a person to pay a pecuniary penalty that the court considers is appropriate if the court is satisfied that the person has contravened a civil remedy provision.
Pecuniary penalty orders cannot be made in relation to conduct that contravenes a term of a modern award, a national minimum wage order or an enterprise agreement only because of the retrospective effect of a determination (see subsections 167(3) and 298(2)).
Pecuniary penalty orders cannot be made in relation to conduct that contravenes a term of an enterprise agreement only because of the retrospective effect of an amendment made under paragraph 227B(3)(b) (see subsection 227E(2)).
Determining amount of pecuniary penalty
Subject to this section, the pecuniary penalty must not be more than:
if the person is an individual—the maximum number of penalty units referred to in the relevant item in column 4 of the table in subsection 539(2); or
if the person is a body corporate—5 times the maximum number of penalty units referred to in the relevant item in column 4 of the table in subsection 539(2).
Despite paragraph (2)(b) and subsection (2AA), if:
the civil remedy provision is a selected civil remedy provision; and
the person is a body corporate; and
when the application for the order is made, the person is not a small business employer; and
the contravention is associated with an underpayment amount; and
the application specifies that the applicant wants the maximum penalty to be calculated based on a multiple of the underpayment amount; and
the person is not taken to have contravened the civil remedy provision under section 550 (person involved in a contravention);
the pecuniary penalty must not be more than the greater of the following:
the amount worked out in accordance with subsection (2AA);
3 times the underpayment amount.
For when contravention of a civil remedy provision is associated with an underpayment amount, see section 546A.
Despite paragraph (2)(b), if:
the civil remedy provision is a selected civil remedy provision; and
the person is a body corporate; and
when the application for the order is made, the person is not a small business employer;
the pecuniary penalty must not be more than 5 times the amount worked out in accordance with paragraph (2)(b).
Payment of penalty
The court may order that the pecuniary penalty, or a part of the penalty, be paid to:
the Commonwealth; or
a particular organisation; or
a particular person.
Recovery of penalty
The pecuniary penalty may be recovered as a debt due to the person to whom the penalty is payable.
No limitation on orders
To avoid doubt, a court may make a pecuniary penalty order in addition to one or more orders under section 545.
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