Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) A defence member commits an offence if the member:
(a) is required to attend for duty; and
(b) does not attend for the duty.
Maximum punishment: Imprisonment for 12 months.
(2) A defence member commits an offence if the member:
(a) is required to perform a duty; and
(b) ceases to perform the duty before he or she is permitted to do so.
Maximum punishment: Imprisonment for 12 months.
(3) An offence under this section is an offence of strict liability.
Note: For strict liability , see section 6.1 of the Criminal Code .
(4) It is a defence to a charge under this section if the person proves that he or she had a reasonable excuse for engaging in the relevant conduct.
Note: The defendant bears a legal burden in relation to the matter in subsection (4). See section 13.4 of the Criminal Code .