Companies and Securities (Interpretation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act 1981 (Cth)

Companies and Securities (Interpretation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act 1981

No. 4 of 1981

An Act to amend the Companies and Securities (Interpretation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1980

[Assented to 5 March 1981]

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen, and the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:

Short title, &c. 1. (1) This Act may be cited as the Companies and Securities (Interpretation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Amendment Act 1981. (2) The Companies and Securities (Interpretation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 19801 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

Commencement 2. This Act shall come into operation on the day on which the Companies and Securities (Interpretation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1980 comes into operation.

Definitions 3. Section 9 of the Principal Act is amended— (a) by inserting "or has been" before "amended" (first occurring) in the definition of "Agreement"; (b) by inserting after the definition of "court" the following definition: "'court of summary jurisdiction' means the Court of Petty Sessions of the Territory;"; (c) by omitting the definition of "statutory declaration"; and (d) by adding at the end thereof the following definition: "'this Act' includes regulations under the relevant Act.". 4. Section 35 of the Principal Act is repealed and the following section substituted:

Indictable offences and summary offences "35. (1) An offence against a relevant Act that is not punishable by imprisonment or is punishable by imprisonment for a period not exceeding 6 months is, unless the contrary intention appears, punishable summarily. "(2) An offence against a relevant Act that is punishable by imprisonment for a period exceeding 6 months is, subject to sub-section (3), punishable on indictment. "(3) Where— (a) proceedings for an offence against a relevant Act that is punishable by imprisonment for a period exceeding 6 months are brought in a court of summary jurisdiction; and (b) the prosecutor requests the court to hear and determine the proceedings, the offence is punishable summarily and the court shall hear and determine the proceedings. "(4) A court of summary jurisdiction may not— (a) impose, in respect of any one offence against a relevant Act, a period of imprisonment exceeding 2 years; or (b) impose, in respect of offences against a relevant Act or relevant Acts, cumulative periods of imprisonment that, in the aggregate, exceed 5 years. "(5) Nothing in this section renders a person liable to be punished more than once in respect of the same offence.".