Fines are monetary penalties. Judges and magistrates can impose a fine with or without recording a conviction. They can also combine fines with other orders, for example, imprisonment.
Judges and magistrates have the discretion to impose a fine up to the maximum penalty for the offence.
The maximum amount of a fine is described in penalty units. A penalty unit is an amount of money set by parliament each year. For the period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, the value of a penalty unit is set at $197.59.
The values of penalty units for each financial year from 2004–05 to 2024–25 are outlined in Figure 1. These values can be searched in the Victorian Government Gazette.
Figure 1: Penalty unit values in Victoria, 2004–05 to 2024–25
For the financial year 2012–13, the Monetary Units Amendment Act 2012 (Vic) increased the value of a penalty unit from the Gazetted value of $125.19 to $140.84.
In Victoria, the penalty scale for fines has 11 levels. The penalty units for each level and the corresponding monetary value for 2024–25 are in Table 1.
Table 1: Penalty scale for fines in Victoria
| Level | Penalty units | Monetary value 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | There is no provision for a fine to be given for a Level 1 offence | |
| Level 2 | 3,000 | 592,770.00 |
| Level 3 | 2,400 | 474,216.00 |
| Level 4 | 1,800 | 355,662.00 |
| Level 5 | 1,200 | 237,108.00 |
| Level 6 | 600 | 118,554.00 |
| Level 7 | 240 | 47,421.60 |
| Level 8 | 120 | 23,710.80 |
| Level 9 | 60 | 11,855.40 |
| Level 10 | 10 | 1,975.90 |
| Level 11 | 5 | 987.95 |
| Level 12 | 1 | 197.59 |
The historical penalty unit values in Table 2 can assist practitioners and courts to understand the maximum financial penalty applicable at the time of the offending.
Table 2: Penalty unit values in Victoria, by financial year
| Year | Penalty unit value |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | $102.25 |
| 2005–06 | $104.81 |
| 2006–07 | $107.43 |
| 2007–08 | $110.12 |
| 2008–09 | $113.42 |
| 2009–10 | $116.82 |
| 2010–11 | $119.45 |
| 2011–12 | $122.14 |
| 2012–13 | $140.84 |
| 2013–14 | $144.36 |
| 2014–15 | $147.61 |
| 2015–16 | $151.67 |
| 2016–17 | $155.46 |
| 2017–18 | $158.57 |
| 2018–19 | $161.19 |
| 2019–20 | $165.22 |
| 2020–21 | $165.22 |
| 2021–22 | $181.74 |
| 2022–23 | $184.92 |
| 2023–24 | $192.31 |
| 2024-25 | $197.59 |
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