The maximum penalty for the offence of “causing bushfire” is 21 years in prison.
According to the Judicial Commission of NSW, the actual penalties imposed for the offence are as follows:
- Prison: 42.86%
- Intensive Correction Order: 38.1%
- Community Correction Order: 19.05%
The average prison sentence for the offence is 20 months imprisonment, and the average non-parole period (or minimum prison term that must be served) is 7 months in prison.