Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

CORPORATIONS ACT 2001 - SECT 188

Responsibility of company secretaries

             (1)  A secretary of a company contravenes this subsection if the company contravenes any of the following provisions (each of which is a corporate responsibility provision ):

                     (a)  section 142 (registered office);

                     (b)  section 145 (public company's registered office to be open to public);

                     (c)  section 146 (change of principal place of business);

                     (d)  section 178A (change to proprietary company's member register);

                     (e)  section 178C (change to proprietary company's share structure);

                    (ea)  subsection 203AA(6) (notification of resignation day);

                      (f)  section 205B (lodgement of notices with ASIC);

                     (g)  section 254X (issue of shares);

                     (h)  section 319 (lodgement of annual reports with ASIC);

                      (i)  section 320 (lodgement of half-year reports with ASIC);

                      (j)  section 346C (response to extract of particulars);

                     (k)  section 348D (response to return of particulars);

                      (l)  section 349A (change to proprietary company's ultimate holding company).

Note 1:       See section 204A for the circumstances in which a company must have a secretary.

Note 2:       This subsection is a civil penalty provision (see section 1317E).

Note 3:       This subsection has an extended operation in relation to the secretary of a corporate director of a CCIV: see sections 1225A and 1225B.

Responsibility of directors of proprietary companies

             (2)  Each director of a proprietary company contravenes this subsection if:

                     (a)  the proprietary company contravenes a corporate responsibility provision; and

                     (b)  the proprietary company does not have a secretary when it contravenes that provision.

Note 1:       See section 204A for the circumstances in which a company must have a secretary.

Note 2:       This subsection is a civil penalty provision (see section 1317E).

Defence of reasonable steps

             (3)  A person does not contravene subsection (1) or (2) in relation to a company's contravention of a corporate responsibility provision if the person shows that he or she took reasonable steps to ensure that the company complied with the provision.