10th Oct 2024, 12:23 PM – Senate Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Omnibus No. 1) Bill 2024 - Second Reading - A fairer system for Commonwealth penalty units

The majority voted against an amendment to the usual second reading motion, which is "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill). This means the usual motion will remain unchanged. The amendment was introduced by NSW Senator David Shoebridge (Greens).

Motion text

At the end of the motion, add “, but the Senate:

(a) notes that the bill seeks to increase the value of the Commonwealth penalty unit;

(b) recognises that set financial penalties produce unfair and uneven impacts when they are not levied according to income, so that people on high incomes can easily afford to pay a fine that would be financially crippling to someone on Commonwealth income support such as Jobseeker or the aged pension; and

(c) urges the Government to explore a fairer system for fines that would reduce penalty amounts for those on Commonwealth income support, and increase penalty amounts for those earning over $180,000 a year”.