Financial penalties

The BPC may regularly impose financial penalties to reinforce accountability, eliminate unfair advantages from non-compliance, deter industry misconduct and build consumer trust by demonstrating that unacceptable conduct has consequences.

We consider a variety of corrective and deterrent reasons for the imposition of a financial penalty, including:

• the corrective benefits of a financial penalty, such as individual practitioner’s accountability
• the need to level the playing field by aiming to remove financial benefit from non-compliance
• the general deterrence value of imposing a financial penalty
• the need to demonstrate to consumers that certain conduct is not tolerated.

How financial penalties are set

Penalties may be up to 150 penalty units (PU) per disciplinary ground for an individual building practitioner; up to 750 PU per disciplinary ground for a company building practitioner; and up to 100 PU per inquiry for a plumbing practitioner.

In 2025-2026, the value of a penalty unit is around $200.

Penalties are applied proportionately and with regard to the specific circumstances of the conduct of concern and of the practitioner.

When considering the appropriate level of the financial penalty, some relevant factors include:

• the severity of the breach
• the individual practitioner’s circumstances including their disciplinary history
• the practitioner’s financial circumstances, these are relevant to ensuring the financial penalty has a meaningful impact and furthers the objectives of disciplinary action but is not excessive.

To set appropriate penalties that further the objectives of discipline, we also may consider the total effect of all the discipline actions taken together, including financial penalties for multiple grounds, and the impact or effect of a suspension or cancellation.

For more information on the objectives of discipline and how this informs proportionate disciplinary action, refer to our discipline policy.

Difference between discipline penalties and court-imposed penalties

The penalties applied in discipline are set under the relevant provisions for discipline under the Building Act 1993 – Section 178 for building practitioners, and Section 221ZZZJ for plumbing practitioners.

These provisions set the maximum financial penalties for discipline. These are not the same as the penalties set in the act for various offences, which that can be applied by a magistrate, only when a matter is prosecuted in a court. For more information, refer to the prosecutions policy.