2. This Act shall come into operation on the day on which the Companies and Securities (Interpretation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1980 comes into operation.

3. Section 9 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by inserting “or has been” before “amended” (first occurring) in the definition of “Agreement”;

(b) by inserting after the definition of “court” the following definition:

“‘court of summary jurisdiction’ means the Court of Petty Sessions of the Territory;”;

(c) by omitting the definition of “statutory declaration”; and

(d) by adding at the end thereof the following definition:

“‘this Act’ includes regulations under the relevant Act.”.

4. Section 35 of the Principal Act is repealed and the following section substituted:

Indictable offences and summary offences

“35. (1) An offence against a relevant Act that is not punishable by imprisonment or is punishable by imprisonment for a period not exceeding 6 months is, unless the contrary intention appears, punishable summarily.

“(2) An offence against a relevant Act that is punishable by imprisonment for a period exceeding 6 months is, subject to sub-section (3), punishable on indictment.

“(3) Where—

(a) proceedings for an offence against a relevant Act that is punishable by imprisonment for a period exceeding 6 months are brought in a court of summary jurisdiction; and

(b) the prosecutor requests the court to hear and determine the proceedings,

the offence is punishable summarily and the court shall hear and determine the proceedings.

“(4) A court of summary jurisdiction may not—

(a) impose, in respect of any one offence against a relevant Act, a period of imprisonment exceeding 2 years; or

(b) impose, in respect of offences against a relevant Act or relevant Acts, cumulative periods of imprisonment that, in the aggregate, exceed 5 years.

“(5) Nothing in this section renders a person liable to be punished more than once in respect of the same offence.”.

5. Section 36 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting from sub-section (1) “proceedings for an offence against a provision of a relevant Act may be instituted only” and substituting “in any proceedings for an offence against a provision of a relevant Act, any information, charge, complaint or application may be laid or made only”.

6. The Principal Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following Part:

“PART VI—EVIDENCE OF CORRESPONDING LAWS

Evidence of laws of States and other Territories

“41. Where a provision of a law of a State or of another Territory, being a law by reason of which provisions of a relevant Act or regulations in force for the time being under a relevant Act apply as laws of that State or Territory, provides that a document published in accordance with that provision is prima facie evidence of the provisions of that relevant Act or those regulations as so applying on a particular date, a document that is, or purports to be, a copy of a document so published is prima facie evidence of the provisions of that relevant Act or those regulations as so applying on that date.”.

No. 68, 1980.