National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009

CHAPTER 6 - COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT  

PART 6-6 - OFFENCES UNDER THIS CHAPTER  

Division 2 - Offences  

SECTION 296   LEGAL PROFESSIONAL PRIVILEGE  

296(1)    
This section applies if:

(a) under this Chapter, a person requires a lawyer:

(i) to give information; or

(ii) to produce a book; and

(b) giving the information would involve disclosing, or the book contains, as the case may be, a privileged communication made by, on behalf of or to the lawyer in his or her capacity as a lawyer.

296(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 being wound up - the liquidator (within the meaning of section 9 of the Corporations Act 2001 ) 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.

296(3)    

If the lawyer so refuses, he or she 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 and address 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, or the part of the book, containing the communication.

Criminal penalty: 3 months imprisonment.