Australian Capital Territory Current Acts

COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION ACT 2017 - SECT 12

(Model Law art 12)

    (1)     When a person is approached in connection with the person's possible appointment as an arbitrator, the person must disclose any circumstances likely to give rise to justifiable doubts as to the person's impartiality or independence.

    (2)     An arbitrator, from the time of the arbitrator's appointment and throughout the arbitral proceedings, must without delay disclose any circumstances of the kind referred to in subsection (1) to the parties unless they have already been informed of them by the arbitrator.

    (3)     An arbitrator may be challenged only if circumstances exist that give rise to justifiable doubts as to the arbitrator's impartiality or independence, or if the arbitrator does not possess qualifications agreed to by the parties.

    (4)     A party may challenge an arbitrator appointed by the party, or in whose appointment the party has participated, only for reasons of which the party becomes aware after the appointment has been made.

    (5)     For the purposes of subsection (1), there are justifiable doubts as to the impartiality or independence of a person approached in connection with a possible appointment as arbitrator only if there is a real danger of bias on the part of the person in conducting the arbitration.

    (6)     For the purposes of subsection (3), there are justifiable doubts as to the impartiality or independence of an arbitrator only if there is a real danger of bias on the part of the arbitrator in conducting the arbitration.

Note     This section (other than ss (5) and (6)) is substantially the same as the Model Law, art 12. Subsections (5) and (6) provide that the test for whether there are justifiable doubts as to the impartiality or independence of a person or arbitrator is whether there is a real danger of bias.