Make you sure have a license to thrive

From July 1, 2026, the standard Commonwealth Penalty Unit under section 4AA of the Crimes Act 1914 increased from $330 to $364, which means the fines for offences linked to penalty units have also increased.

The units determine the total cost of a fine or legal penalty, as standard offences are assigned a number of units which are then multiplied by the dollar value of a unit. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has a good explanation of civil penalties here.

The ARC notes that penalties apply to matters including unlicensed work, unauthorised trading, false representations and breaches of permit conditions. The fines can range from $21,840 for individuals to $109,200 for corporations.

“The most severe penalties apply to unlawful discharges of high-GWP refrigerants, which can result in fines of up to $145,600 for individuals and $728,000 for corporations,” the ARC states.

It urges all ARCtick permit holders to maintain strict compliance to protect the hip pocket, and also safeguard the environment.

Working with an expired licence, or outside the scope of a licence, can also lead to substantial penalties under the new rates.

The ARC advises trade professionals to:

• Ensure licenses are valid
• Confirm scopes of work to ensure the license covers the specific tasks being performed
• Ensure all records are accurate to meet compliance standards.

A factsheet is available from the ARC website with further information – access it here.

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