After section 8 insert:
8A—Conciliation
(1) The Commissioner
must not attempt to resolve a dispute between a consumer and trader by
conciliation except—
(a) at
the request or with the consent of the consumer; or
(b) at
the request of a court, board or tribunal in which proceedings have been taken
in relation to the dispute.
(2) The Commissioner
may call voluntary or compulsory conferences of the parties to the dispute for
the purpose of attempting to resolve the dispute by agreement.
(3) If—
(a) the
Commissioner is requested to resolve a dispute between a consumer and trader
by conciliation; and
(b) the
consumer, without reasonable excuse, fails to attend a conference called for
that purpose when asked to do so by the Commissioner,
the Commissioner may refuse to take any further action in relation to the
dispute.
(4) A trader who is
asked by the Commissioner to attend a conference under this section must
attend the conference if the Commissioner indicates in the request that
attendance is compulsory.
Maximum penalty:
(a) in
the case of a minor offence—$5 000;
(b) in
any other case—$10 000.
Expiation fee: In the case of a minor offence—$315.
(5) A conciliation
conference may be conducted by telephone or other electronic means (and a
person who participates in a conference by such means will, for the purposes
of this section, be taken to have attended the conference).
(6) The following
provisions govern representation in conciliation proceedings:
(a)
representation of a party by a lawyer will not be permitted unless—
(i)
another party to the dispute is a lawyer; or
(ii)
each of the parties to the dispute agrees; or
(iii)
the Commissioner is of the opinion that the party would
be unfairly disadvantaged if not represented by a lawyer;
(b) if a
party to the dispute is a body corporate, the Commissioner must, if the party
seeks to be represented by an officer or employee who is not a lawyer, permit
such representation;
(c) the
Commissioner may permit a party to the dispute to be assisted by a person who
is not a lawyer but only if that person is not acting for fee or reward.
(7) If an agreement
that is reached as a result of conciliation is recorded in a written
instrument and signed by the Commissioner and the parties to the
agreement—
(a) a
copy of the instrument must be given to each party; and
(b) in
the event that a party to the agreement fails to carry out the party's
obligations under the agreement—the Commissioner or the other party may
apply to the Magistrates Court for an order enforcing the terms of the
agreement.
(8) Evidence of
anything said or done in the course of conciliation proceedings under this
section is only admissible in subsequent proceedings by consent of the
Commissioner and all parties to the proceedings.
(9) An application to
the Magistrates Court under subsection (7)(b) is a minor statutory
proceeding for the purposes of the Magistrates Court Act 1991 .
(10) In this
section—
"minor offence" means an offence where the value of the goods or services the
subject of the dispute is not more than $1 000 or, if some other amount is
prescribed by the regulations, that amount.