Higher penalties for fake military honours
Would increase penalties for wrongly wearing or supplying military decorations and distinctive badges.
Military Decorations and Distinctive Badges (Modernisation) Amendment Bill
What's changing
- Maximum fines for wearing or pretending to be entitled to wear a distinctive badge would rise to $10,000.
- The military-decoration offence would carry a maximum fine of $10,000.
- Prison would become possible for falsely claiming entitlement to wear a military decoration.
- The law’s wording would recognise that military service is not limited to men.
Who's affected
People who wear, claim entitlement to, or supply military decorations or distinctive badges, and people affected by the wording of the law, would be affected.
When
This is still a proposal being examined or debated in Parliament; no start date has been given.
Background
The committee says the bill would update the 1918 law, including penalties that were set in 1918 and 1981. The bill would also update language because military service is no longer only for men.