Western Australian Current Acts

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TRANSFER OF LAND ACT 1893 - SECT 180

180 .         Commissioner may summons people to provide information

        (1)         For the purposes of enabling the Commissioner or the Registrar to perform any function under this Act or any other Act, the Commissioner may, by summons, require any of the persons listed in subsection (2) to appear at a time and place specified in the summons to do all or any of the following —

            (a)         to give an explanation concerning —

                  (i)         any land; or

                  (ii)         any document affecting the title to any land; or

                  (iii)         any conveyancing transaction;

            (b)         to produce any grant, certificate of title, will, mortgage or other instrument or document in the person’s possession or within the person’s control —

                  (i)         affecting any land or the title to any land; or

                  (ii)         relating to any conveyancing transaction.

        (2)         The persons referred to in subsection (1) are the following —

            (a)         the proprietor, mortgagee or other person interested in any land under, or proposed to be brought under, the operation of this Act in respect of which —

                  (i)         any transfer, lease, mortgage, charge, carbon right, carbon covenant, tree plantation agreement or other dealing is proposed to be transacted or registered; or

                  (ii)         any discharge from any mortgage or charge, or any surrender of a carbon right, carbon covenant or plantation interest, is proposed to be transacted or registered; or

                  (iii)         any transmission is proposed to be registered;

            (b)         any person whom the Commissioner reasonably considers will be able to give an explanation concerning a conveyancing transaction or produce a document relating to a conveyancing transaction, including (without limitation) —

                  (i)         a subscriber;

                  (ii)         any of a subscriber’s employees, agents, contractors or officers;

                  (iii)         a lawyer;

                  (iv)         a settlement agent as defined in the Settlement Agents Act 1981 section 3(1);

                  (v)         an ELNO;

                  (vi)         any of an ELNO’s employees, agents, contractors or officers.

        (3)         A summons under subsection (1) must be —

            (a)         in an approved form; and

            (b)         signed by the Commissioner; and

            (c)         served on the person summoned in accordance with section 240 as if it were a notice to which that section applies.

        (4)         For the purposes of this section —

            (a)         the Commissioner may require a person summoned under subsection (1) to take an oath or to make an affirmation; and

            (b)         the Commissioner may administer an oath or affirmation to the person.

        (5)         If a person is summoned under subsection (1), the Commissioner may deal with the person as in the case of contempt of the Supreme Court if the person —

            (a)         fails, refuses or neglects —

                  (i)         to attend the Commissioner for the purpose of being examined; or

                  (ii)         to produce any document as required by the summons; or

                  (iii)         to allow any document to which subparagraph (ii) applies to be inspected;

                or

            (b)         refuses or neglects to give any explanation required by the Commissioner.

        (6)         If the Commissioner considers that any information or document that is withheld from the Commissioner in the circumstances set out in subsection (5) is material, the Registrar is not bound to proceed with the transaction to which that information or document relates.

        [Section 180 inserted: No. 2 of 2014 s. 77; amended: No. 9 of 2022 s. 424.]



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