Commonwealth Numbered Acts

[Index] [Table] [Search] [Search this Act] [Notes] [Noteup] [Previous] [Next] [Download] [Help]

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY REGIME ACT 2023 (NO. 67, 2023) - SECT 89

Legal professional privilege

             (1)  This section applies if:

                     (a)  under this Act, a person requires a lawyer;

                              (i)  to give information; or

                             (ii)  to produce a book, account or document; and

                     (b)  either:

                              (i)  giving the information would involve disclosing; or

                             (ii)  the book, account or document contains;

                            a privileged communication made by, or on behalf of or to the lawyer in their capacity as a lawyer.

             (2)  The lawyer is entitled to refuse to comply with the requirement unless:

                     (a)  if the person to whom, or by or on behalf of whom, the communication was made is a body corporate that is under administration or is being wound up--the administrator or the liquidator of the body; or

                     (b)  otherwise--the person to whom, or by or on behalf of whom, the communication was made;

consents to the lawyer complying with the requirement.

             (3)  If the lawyer so refuses, they must, as soon as practicable, give to the person who made the requirement a written notice setting out:

                     (a)  if the lawyer knows the name of the person to whom, or by or on behalf of whom, the communication was made--that name and address; and

                     (b)  if subparagraph (1)(a)(i) applies and the communication was made in writing--sufficient particulars to identify the document containing the communication; and

                     (c)  if subparagraph (1)(a)(ii) applies--sufficient particulars to identify the book, account or document, or the part of the book, account or document, containing the communication.

             (4)  A person commits an offence if the person refuses or fails to comply with a requirement under this section.

Penalty:  30 penalty units.



AustLII: Copyright Policy | Disclaimers | Privacy Policy | Feedback