Victoria strengthened a number of energy-safety penalties in 2025, and the dollar value of a penalty unit changed again on 1 July 2026. That makes older penalty tables easy to misread or quote out of date.
This guide explains the current framework for non-compliant electrical equipment in Victoria, with an important distinction: many Electricity Safety Act offences discussed here apply to manufacturers, suppliers, installers, electrical contractors or other regulated persons. They are not a generic “test and tag fine” for every workplace.
For the Victorian financial year 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, one penalty unit is $209.10. Always check the current Energy Safe Victoria or Victorian Government source before quoting a dollar amount.
Important: This article is general information, not legal advice. Maximum penalties are not the same as automatic fines. The applicable offence, legal entity, facts, court process and current legislation determine the outcome.
Table of Contents
- 1. Who These Electrical Equipment Rules Apply To
- 2. Current Victorian Penalty Units
- 3. Current Penalty Examples from Energy Safe Victoria
- 4. What Changed in the 2025 Reforms
- 5. Energy Safe Victoria's Enforcement Powers
- 6. What Ordinary Workplaces Should Focus On
- 7. What Suppliers and Electrical Contractors Should Focus On
- 8. Key Takeaways
- 9. Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who These Electrical Equipment Rules Apply To
Victoria's electrical safety framework includes the Electricity Safety Act 1998 and associated regulations. Different provisions apply to different activities, including electrical installation work, supplying or selling electrical equipment, registration and certification requirements, prohibition notices and other regulated conduct.
This matters because a workplace that simply uses portable appliances is not in the same legal position as a company that manufactures, imports, supplies or knowingly installs unsafe electrical equipment.
For employers managing equipment used at work, occupational health and safety duties also apply. WorkSafe Victoria states that employers must provide and maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to health.
2. Current Victorian Penalty Units
Victorian penalties are commonly expressed in penalty units. The dollar value changes each financial year.
| Financial Year | Value of 1 Penalty Unit | Status |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2025–2026 | $203.51 | Previous financial year |
| FY 2026–2027 | $209.10 | Current at September 2026 |
The current value is published by Energy Safe Victoria's equipment safety fee schedule. Because the value changes annually, an older article can have the correct number of penalty units but the wrong dollar conversion.
3. Current Penalty Examples from Energy Safe Victoria
The examples below use Energy Safe Victoria's current FY 2026–27 fee schedule. They illustrate why the specific offence and legal entity matter.
| Example Offence | Person | Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Supplying non-complying equipment | 60 units = $12,546 | 240 units = $50,184 |
| Supplying equipment without a valid certificate | 60 units = $12,546 | 240 units = $50,184 |
| Failure to comply with a prohibition notice | 200 units = $41,820 | 1,000 units = $209,100 |
These are current schedule examples, not a universal penalty table for workplace test and tag. Some other Electricity Safety Act offences have different maximum penalties and may only apply to particular persons or activities.
Energy Safe Victoria also states that, from May 2025, the maximum penalty for knowingly installing electrical equipment that is unsafe (or will be unsafe if connected) increased to 240 penalty units for an individual, with a new maximum of 1,200 penalty units for a body corporate. The current dollar equivalent should always be calculated using the penalty-unit value for the relevant financial year.
4. What Changed in the 2025 Reforms
The Energy and Land Legislation Amendment (Energy Safety) Act 2025 strengthened Energy Safe Victoria's powers and increased penalties for certain offences under the Electricity Safety Act and Gas Safety Act.
Changes included increased penalties for specified offences, immediate suspension powers in certain public-interest situations, injunctions and adverse-publicity orders. Further changes commencing on 1 April 2026 included prohibition notices and enhanced authorised-officer powers.
The important point for businesses is that these reforms do not create one flat “electrical non-compliance fine.” You must identify the actual provision that applies to the conduct.
5. Energy Safe Victoria's Enforcement Powers
Energy Safe Victoria can use different tools depending on the legislation and circumstances. These can include investigations, notices, infringement processes where available, prosecutions and other enforcement mechanisms.
- Prohibition notices: can be used to stop an activity creating an immediate safety risk where the statutory requirements are met.
- Improvement notices: can require action to address contraventions within the regulator's powers.
- Licence or registration action: certain public-interest circumstances can support immediate suspension powers.
- Court action: prosecution may result in penalties up to the statutory maximum where an offence is proven.
Maximum penalties should not be presented as if they are automatically imposed in every case.
6. What Ordinary Workplaces Should Focus On
If you operate an office, warehouse, hospitality venue, school, workshop or other workplace, your day-to-day concern is usually not the supplier penalty table above. It is controlling electrical risk and meeting your applicable workplace safety duties.
Useful controls can include:
- removing damaged or suspect equipment from use;
- using inspection and testing appropriate to the equipment and environment;
- keeping accurate asset and defect records;
- acting on failed equipment rather than simply recording the failure;
- reviewing the programme when equipment, use or workplace conditions change.
Where in-service inspection and testing is part of the agreed programme, AS/NZS 3760:2022 is a relevant technical standard. It should not be described as an automatic legal certificate for the entire business.
See our detailed Victorian workplace electrical safety and penalty guide for the OHS context.
7. What Suppliers and Electrical Contractors Should Focus On
Manufacturers, importers, suppliers, registered electrical contractors and licensed workers may have specific obligations under energy-safety legislation and the Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS), depending on the equipment and activity.
Do not assume that a workplace test-and-tag service satisfies product-supply, installation, certification, registration or licensing obligations. Those are separate compliance areas and may require a licensed electrical contractor, licensed electrical worker, responsible supplier registration, certification or other specialist action.
For authoritative information, use Energy Safe Victoria and the current Victorian legislation.
8. Key Takeaways
- FY 2026–27 penalty unit: $209.10 as published by Energy Safe Victoria.
- Penalty amounts are offence-specific: there is no single generic fine for “electrical non-compliance.”
- Supplier/installer offences are not the same as ordinary workplace test-and-tag duties.
- Maximum penalties are not automatic outcomes. Facts, legal entity, evidence and enforcement process matter.
- Use current official sources: annual penalty-unit values and legislation can change.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
For 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, Energy Safe Victoria publishes the value as $209.10 per penalty unit.
No. The supplier and electrical-work offences discussed above apply only where the relevant statutory provision and facts are established. Workplace electrical safety duties must be assessed separately.
No. A competent contractor can perform an agreed service and provide records, but hiring a contractor does not automatically transfer or eliminate an employer's broader legal duties.
No single test-and-tag visit can certify every legal obligation across an entire workplace. Hume can document the equipment and testing included in the agreed service scope and report identified results or defects.
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