On 16 November 2005, the Attorney General asked us to evaluate fines as a sentencing option.
We published our Interim Report: The Effectiveness of Fines as a Sentencing Option: Court-imposed fines and penalty notices (PDF, 818.3 KB) in October 2006.
Some recommendations were implemented by the:
We published a Monograph by Katherine McFarlane and Patrizia Poletti - Judicial Perceptions of Fines as a Sentencing Option: A Survey of NSW Magistrates (PDF, 443.3 KB) in August 2007.
We received the following terms of reference on 16 November 2005:
Pursuant to section 100J(1)(d) of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 I refer the following issues to the Sentencing Council for consideration and report:
(a) Fines
(i) The effectiveness of fines as a sentencing option;
(ii) Consequences for those who do not pay fines, paying particular regard to increases in imprisonment for offences against sections 25 and 25A of the Road Transport (Driver Licensing) Act 1998.
27 Nov 2024
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the ongoing connection Aboriginal people have to this land and recognise Aboriginal people as the original custodians of this land.