Australia has had a long, beautiful and interesting history since becoming independent from the United Kingdom in 1901. Aboriginal people inhabited the continent for tens of thousands of years before the first British settlements came to the territory. Great Britain claimed the eastern half of the continent and New South Wales became a penal colony around 1770. Over the course of the next century the colonies, east, and west united to form the country as we know it to this day. The country has operated as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy ever since its independence. Throughout this time Australia created some of the most bizarre, interesting, funny and ridiculous laws.
Most of these laws can be ignored. But from time to time someone will get fined for doing something so commonplace and absurd that leaves the offender completely gobsmacked. Take a trip with us down under for a glimpse of the funny world of Australia's legal system. Enjoy the range of silly rulings and fines for some of the most bizarre offenses the human mind can imagine.
Quiz Writer
Jake didn’t think he’d become a writer when he was growing up in southern Saskatchewan, Canada, but fate had another idea. After barely squeaking through grade 9 English, by the luck of the draw Jake found himself with the most inspiring literature instructor his small town had ever known, and grade 10 English changed his life! Suddenly, evenings once spent at the hockey rink were spent curled up on the couch with the best of Hemingway, Dickens, and John Grisham. A valedictorian address and English degree at the University of Regina later, Jake is proud to call Heywise his favorite place to pen informative quizzes about all his passion projects. If you’re reading a post and pick up a hint of classic English literature, you’re probably reading something by Jake - especially if you come away feeling like a slightly better person for it.
Did you know?
In Australia that when paying for a fine the offender is assigned a certain number of 'Penalty Units?
Each 'Penalty Unit' is currently 200 Australian Dollars. They are abbreviated to 'PU, ' and I can imagine that it would stink to have to pay a large number of them! Did you know that the death penalty was abolished throughout Australia in 1973 via the Death Penalty Abolition Act? Life sentences are the maximum penalty for federal crime in the continent. Did you know that after a large massacre in Port Arthur, Australia initiated a gun buyback program? The government bought back over 1,000,000 firearms and destroyed them all. This act dramatically reduced gun-related incidents throughout Australia. Did you know that if you are caught roaming the streets wearing felt shoes, black clothes and black shoe polish on your face you can get arrested? I'm pretty sure common sense would imply this, but it is indeed written into the laws. Careful wearing a cat-burglar uniform on Halloween. Did you that in Australia being drunk inside a pub is illegal? You can actually be fined for being drunk in a pub!! Did you know that it's illegal to joke about bombs or other incendiary devices while in Australian airports? The law comes with a steep fine and could land you in jail.
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Get knOwledgeable! Heywise is where entertainment and trivia meet, like a turducken of fun. Anytime. Anywhere. Since 2017, Heywise has been a leader of quizzes on the web, on mobile devices, and across social media.
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