The $90m fine imposed on Qantas for illegally sacking 1,820 workers in 2020 during the start of the pandemic represents one of the largest corporate penalties an Australian court has ever imposed for a non-financial offence. It follows a $100m penalty imposed on Qantas by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for selling tickets on flights it had already decided to cancel, and the forced creation of a $120m compensation fund for the workers.
Much larger penalties have been paid by banks and casinos, mostly for money-laundering offences, most notably a $1.3bn fine paid by Westpac. But those appeared to be regarded as costs of doing business, at least when that business involves handling large sums of money and dealing with people who want to move it quickly.
