Increases in WHS Act penalty amounts
3 July 2025
Annual increases to monetary penalties under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act) are now in effect for the Commonwealth jurisdiction.
The new maximum penalty amounts for a body corporate for Categories 1 to 3 offences are:
- Category 1: $17.034 million (up from $16.63 million)
- Category 2: $2.373 million (up from $2.32 million)
- Category 3: $795,000 (up from $776,000)
Since 1 July 2024, penalties for WHS Act breaches increase at the start of each financial year under an indexation mechanism. These provisions were inserted into the WHS Act by the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Act 2023.
The indexation provisions increase all WHS Act penalty amounts annually under a formula that includes consideration of the Consumer Price Index.
More information about monetary penalties under the WHS Act can be found at:
Details of the new penalty amounts are available on the Federal Register of Legislation:
