THE CORPORATIONS LAW

CHAPTER 9 - MISCELLANEOUS

PART 9.4 - OFFENCES

Division 2 - Offences generally

SECTION 1314   CONTINUING OFFENCES  

1314(1)  [Obligations where time limit specified]  

Where:

(a)  by or under a provision, an act is required to be done within a particular period or before a particular time;

(b)  failure to do the act within that period or before that time constitutes an offence; and

(c)  the act is not done within that period or before that time;

then:

(d)  the obligation to do the act continues, after that period has ended or that time has passed, and whether or not a person is convicted of a primary substantive offence in relation to failure to do the act, until the act is done; and

(e)  subsections (3) and (4) apply.

1314(2)  [Obligations where no time limit specified]  

Where:

(a)  by or under a provision, an act is required to be done but neither a period within which, nor a time before which, the act is to be done is specified;

(b)  failure to do the act constitutes an offence; and

(c)  a person is convicted of a primary substantive offence in relation to failure to do the act;

then:

(d)  the obligation to do the act continues, despite the conviction, until the act is done; and

(e)  subsections (3) and (4) apply.

1314(3)  [Further offence]  

Where:

(a)  at a particular time, a person is first convicted of a substantive offence, or is convicted of a second or subsequent substantive offence, in relation to failure to do the act; and

(b)  the failure to do the act continues after that time;

then:

(c)  the person is, in relation to failure to do the act, guilty of a further offence in respect of so much of the period throughout which the failure to do the act continues or elapses after that time and before the relevant day in relation to the further offence; and

(d)  for the purposes of this Law and of the Crimes Act 1914, the further offence shall be deemed to be constituted by failure to do the act during so much of that period as so elapses.

1314(4)  [Officer of body corporate]  

Where:

(a)  the provision referred to in paragraph (1)(a) or (2)(a), as the case may be, provides that:

(i) an officer of a body corporate; or

(ii) a person;

who is in default, or is involved in a contravention constituted by the failure to do the act, is guilty of an offence or contravenes a provision of this Law; and

(b)  throughout a particular period (in this subsection called the ``relevant period''):

(i) the failure to do the act continues;

(ii) a person (in this subsection called the ``derivative offender'') is in any way, by act or omission, directly or indirectly, knowingly concerned in or party to the failure to do the act; and

(iii) in a case where subparagraph (a)(i) applies - the derivative offender is an officer of the body;

then:

(c)  in a case where either or both of the following events occurs or occur:

(i) a person is convicted, before or during the relevant period, of a primary substantive offence in relation to failure to do the act;

(ii) the derivative offender is convicted, before or during the relevant period, of a primary derivative offence in relation to failure to do the act;

the derivative offender is, in relation to failure to do the act, guilty of an offence (in this paragraph called the ``relevant offence'') in respect of so much (if any) of the relevant period as elapses:

(iii) after the conviction referred to in subparagraph (i) or (ii), or after the earlier of the convictions referred to in subparagraphs (i) and (ii), as the case may be; and

(iv) before the relevant day in relation to the relevant offence; and

(d)  in a case where, at a particular time during the relevant period, the derivative offender is first convicted of a secondary derivative offence, or is convicted of a second or subsequent secondary derivative offence, in relation to failure to do the act - the derivative offender is, in relation to failure to do the act, guilty of a further offence in respect of so much of the relevant period as elapses after that time and before the relevant day in relation to the further offence.

1314(5)  [Penalty for continuing offence]  

Where a person is guilty, by virtue of subsection (3) or (4), of an offence in respect of the whole or a part of a particular period, the penalty applicable to the offence is a fine of the amount obtained by multiplying half a penalty unit by the number of days in that period, or in that part of that period, as the case may be.

1314(6)  [Definitions]  

In this section:

``act'' includes thing;

``primary derivative offence'' , in relation to failure to do an act, means an offence (other than an offence of which a person is guilty by virtue of this section) of which a person is guilty by virtue of being an officer of a corporation, or a person, who is in any way, by act or omission, directly or indirectly, knowingly concerned in or party to failure to do the act;

``primary substantive offence'' , in relation to a failure to do an act, means an offence (other than an offence of which a person is guilty by virtue of this section) constituted by failure to do the act, or by failure to do the act within a particular period or before a particular time;

``provision'' means a section, or a subsection of a section, of this Law;

``relevant day'' , in relation to an offence of which a person is guilty by virtue of this section, means:

(a)  in a case where the information relating to the offence specifies a day in relation to the offence for the purposes of this section, being a day not later than the day on which the information is laid - the day the information so specifies; or

(b)  in any other case - the day on which the information relating to the offence is laid;

``required'' includes directed;

``secondary derivative offence'' , in relation to failure to do an act, means an offence or further offence of which a person is, in relation to failure to do the act, guilty by virtue of paragraph (4)(c) or (d);

``substantive offence'' , in relation to failure to do an act, means:

(a)  a primary substantive offence in relation to failure to do the act; or

(b)  a further offence of which a person is, in relation to failure to do the act, guilty by virtue of subsection (3).

1314(7)  [Contravention of provision]  

For the purposes of subsection (4), a provision of this Law shall, whether or not it expressly provides as mentioned in paragraph (4)(a), be taken to provide that a person who is involved in a contravention constituted by a failure to do an act required by the provision contravenes that provision.