Companies (Unclaimed Assets And Moneys) Act 1963 (NT)

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NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA

COMPANIES (UNCLAIMED ASSETS AND MONEYS) ACT 1963

As in force at 21 December 2022

Table of provisions northern territory of australia

northern territory of australia

As in force at 21 December 2022

COMPANIES (UNCLAIMED ASSETS AND MONEYS) act 1963

An Act relating to unclaimed assets in the hands of liquidators of companies and unclaimed moneys held by companies

Part IPreliminary 1Short title

This Act may be cited as the Companies (Unclaimed Assets and Moneys) Act 1963.

2Commencement

This Act shall come into operation on the day on which the Companies Ordinance 1963 comes into operation.

4South Australian Act to cease to apply

The Unclaimed Moneys Act, 1891 of the State of South Australia shall cease to apply in the Territory as a law of the Territory.

5Definitions

In this Act:

company means:

  • (a)

    a company incorporated or taken to be incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001; or

  • (b)

    a co-operative registered under the Co-operatives (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2015.

Note for section 5

The Interpretation Act 1978 contains definitions and other provisions that may be relevant to this Act.

Part IIUnclaimed assets in hands of liquidators 6Unclaimed assets in hands of liquidator
  • (1)

    If a liquidator of a company has in the liquidator’s hands or under the liquidator’s control either of the following amounts, the liquidator must immediately pay the amount to the Treasurer, and give the Treasurer full particulars of the amount:

    • (a)

      a dividend, or moneys, that have remained unclaimed for more than 6 months from the date when the dividend or moneys became payable;

    • (b)

      an unclaimed or undistributed amount arising from the property of the company after a final distribution is made.

  • (2)

    The Minister may authorise an employee to give a receipt to a liquidator in respect of moneys paid under subsection (1).

  • (3)

    A receipt given to the liquidator by an authorised employee is an effectual discharge of moneys paid under subsection (1).

  • (4)

    On the application of the Chief Executive Officer, the Supreme Court may do any of the following:

    • (a)

      order a liquidator to provide to the Court by affidavit an account of any unclaimed or undistributed funds or dividends in the liquidator’s hands or under the liquidator’s control;

    • (b)

      order an audit of an account mentioned in paragraph (a);

    • (c)

      order the liquidator to pay to the Treasurer some or all of the amounts mentioned in paragraph (a).

  • (5)

    The Treasurer must pay all moneys paid to the Treasurer under this section into the Northern Territory Government Account.

7Payments to persons entitled
  • (1)

    A person claiming to be entitled to any money paid to the Treasurer under this Part may apply to the Supreme Court for an order for payment to him of any sum due to him, and the Court, if satisfied that the person claiming is so entitled, shall make an order for the payment accordingly.

  • (2)

    Upon the making of an order under subsection (1) for payment of any money to a person, or where he is otherwise satisfied that a person is entitled to any money paid to the Treasurer under this Part, the Treasurer shall pay an amount equal to that money to that person.

  • (3)

    The provisions of this section shall not, except as expressly declared in this Act, deprive any person of any other right or remedy to which he is entitled against the liquidator or any other person.

Part IIIUnclaimed moneys 8Interpretation
  • (1)

    In this Part:

    unclaimed moneys, in relation to a company, means moneys in respect of deposits with, or securities of, the company, and dividends, bonuses, profits or other moneys payable to a member of the company as such, which have become legally payable by the company, whether before or after the date of commencement of this Act, but the recovery whereof becomes barred by operation of law after the date of commencement of this Act, or has become so barred on or after 1 January last preceding that date.

  • (2)

    For the purposes of this Act, where any moneys are or were payable upon demand or upon notice, demand shall be deemed to have been made, or the requisite notice to have been given, at the earliest date upon which it could have been given, and the laws relating to limitation of actions shall be deemed to have applied accordingly.

9Register of unclaimed moneys to be kept
  • (1)

    Where, in the year which commenced on 1 January last preceding the date of commencement of this Act or in any subsequent year, any moneys payable by a company have become unclaimed moneys, the company shall, on or before 31 January next following the end of that year, enter, in an alphabetical register kept, in respect of that year, by the company at its head or principal office in the Territory, in the form set out in Schedule 1, particulars of those unclaimed moneys.

  • (2)

    The company shall, on payment or tender of a fee of 20 cents permit any person to inspect, at that head or principal office during the hours within which the company transacts its ordinary business, all registers kept by the company under this section.

  • (3)

    Where, at any time, a company pays any moneys entered in any such register to the person entitled thereto, the company may delete from the register the entry relating to those moneys.

10Copy of register to be gazetted

A company which compiles a register in respect of a year in pursuance of section 9 shall, on or before the last day of February next following the end of that year, forward a copy of that register to the Treasurer for publication by him in the Gazette, and shall forward with the copy a statutory declaration, made by an officer of the company, in the form set out in Schedule 2.

11Penalty

A company shall not fail to comply with any of the provisions of section 9 or 10.

Maximum penalty:          $4 for every day during which failure continues.

12Unclaimed moneys to be paid to the Treasurer
  • (1)

    All unclaimed moneys which have been entered in a register in pursuance of section 9 and which have not been paid by the company to the person entitled thereto within one year after the publication of a copy of the entry in the Gazette shall be paid by the company to the Treasurer within one month after the end of that year.

  • (2)

    The company shall thereafter be relieved from all further liability in respect of the moneys so paid.

  • (3)

    The Treasurer shall pay all moneys paid to him in pursuance of this section into the Northern Territory Government Account.

13Penalty for neglect to pay unclaimed moneys

A company shall not fail to pay any moneys to the Treasurer as required by this Part.

Maximum penalty:          $4 for every day during which the failure continues.

14Treasurer may examine accounts, &c.
  • (1)

    The Treasurer may, at any time after receipt of a copy of a register in pursuance of section 10, examine any of the accounts relating to the unclaimed moneys referred to in that register, and may for that purpose require the production before him, or before such person as he appoints, of any book, voucher or document referring to those moneys, and if any error is found in the register or copy, he may direct the register or copy, or both of them, to be amended.

  • (2)

    The Treasurer may cause to be examined the books and accounts of a company not furnishing a return of unclaimed moneys.

  • (3)

    A person shall not refuse or fail to comply with a requirement made of him in or for the purpose of the exercise of the powers conferred by this section.

    Maximum penalty:          1.7 penalty units.

  • (4)

    An offence of contravening or failing to comply with subsection (3) is a regulatory offence.

15Treasurer to pay lawful claimant

Where the Treasurer is satisfied that a person is entitled to any moneys paid to the Treasurer in pursuance of section 12, he shall pay an amount equal to those moneys to that person.

17Part not to apply to certain unclaimed moneys

This Part shall not apply to any unclaimed moneys which are required by any law of the Commonwealth or of the Territory to be dealt with in a manner other than that prescribed by this Act.

Schedule 1

section 9

Company

Register of unclaimed moneys which became statute-barred during the year 19  .

Name of Owner of Books

Total Amount due to Owner

Description of Unclaimed Moneys

Date of Last Claim

Schedule 2

section 10

NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA

Companies (Unclaimed Assets and Moneys) Act 1963

STATUTORY DECLARATION

I, (insert name, address, and occupation)          , do solemnly and sincerely declare:

(1) That I am an officer of (insert name of company).

(2)      That, in accordance with the provisions of the Companies (Unclaimed Assets and Moneys) Act 1963, the company has duly entered all moneys which became unclaimed moneys within the meaning of the Act during the year 19 in a register kept by the company at its head or principal office in the Northern Territory.

(3)      That the register correctly and completely sets forth the particulars of all such unclaimed moneys.

(4)      That the accompanying copy of the register is a true copy.

This declaration is true and I know it is an offence to make a declaration knowing it is false in a material particular.

Declared by

[Signature of person making declaration] ________________________________

at [place] _________________________  on [date]______________

Witnessed by

[Signature of witness] ___________________________________

[Name]______________________________________________

[Address or telephone number]________________________________

NOTE: Making a declaration knowing it is false in a material particular is an offence for which you may be fined or imprisoned.

 
ENDNOTES
  • 1

    KEY

Key to abbreviations

 

amd = amended od = order

app = appendix om = omitted

bl = by-law pt = Part

ch = Chapter r = regulation/rule

cl = clause rem = remainder

div = Division renum = renumbered

exp = expires/expired rep = repealed

f = forms s = section

Gaz = Gazette sch = Schedule

hdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision

ins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation

lt = long title sub = substituted

nc = not commenced

  • 2

    LIST OF LEGISLATION

Companies (Unclaimed Assets and Moneys) Ordinance 1963 (Act No. 52, 1963)

Assent date

24 July 1963

Commenced

1 July 1963 (s 2, s 2 Companies Ordinance 1963 (Act No. 43, 1963))

Ordinances RevisionOrdinance 1973 (Act No. 87, 1973)

Assent date

11 December 1973

Commenced

11 December 1973 (s 12(2))

Amending Legislation

Ordinances Revision Ordinance 1974 (Act No. 34, 1974)

Assent date

26 August 1974

Commenced

11 December 1973 (s 3(2))

Ordinances Revision Ordinance (No. 2) 1974 (Act No. 69, 1974)

Assent date

24 October 1974

Commenced

11 December 1973 (s 3)

Ordinances Revision Ordinance 1976 (Act No. 27, 1976)

Assent date

28 June 1976

Commenced

ss 1, 2 and 6: 28 June 1976 (s 6(2)); ss 3 and 4: 11 December 1973; s 5: 24 October 1974

Transfer of Powers (Self-Government) Ordinance 1978 (Act No. 54, 1978)

Assent date

1 July 1978

Commenced

1 July 1978 (s 8)

Statute LawRevision Act (No. 3) 1979 (Act No. 37, 1980)

Assent date

24 April 1980

Commenced

24 April 1980

Statute LawRevision Act 1981 (Act No. 29, 1981)

Assent date

25 March 1981

Commenced

25 March 1981

Statute Law Revision Act (No. 3) 1981 (Act No. 91, 1981)

Assent date

21 September 1981

Commenced

21 September 1981

Criminal Law (Regulatory Offences) Act 1983 (Act No. 68, 1983)

Assent date

28 November 1983

Commenced

1 January 1984 (s 2, s 2 Criminal Code Act 1983 (Act No. 47, 1983), Gaz G46, 18 November 1983, p 11 and Gaz G8, 26 February 1986, p 5)

Companies and Securities (Consequential Amendments) Act 1986 (Act No. 18, 1986)

Assent date

30 June 1986

Commenced

1 July 1986 (s 2)

Corporations (Consequential Amendments) Act 1990 (Act No. 59, 1990)

Assent date

14 December 1990

Commenced

1 January 1991 (s 2, s 2 Corporations (NT) Act 1990 (Act No. 56, 1990) and Gaz S76, 21 December 1990)

Sentencing (Consequential Amendments) Act 1996 (Act No. 17, 1996)

Assent date

19 April 1996

Commenced

1 July 1996 (s 2, s 2 Sentencing Act 1995 (Act No. 39, 1995) and Gaz S15, 13 June 1996)

Corporations Reform (Consequential Amendments NT) Act 2001 (Act No. 17, 2001)

Assent date

29 June 2001

Commenced

15 July 2001 (s 2, s 2 Corporations Act 2001 (Cth Act No. 50, 2001) and Cth Gaz S285, 13 July 2001)

Statute Law Revision Act (No. 2) 2001 (Act No. 62, 2001)

Assent date

11 December 2001

Commenced

11 December 2001

Business Names Act 2007 (Act No. 1, 2007)

Assent date

8 March 2007

Commenced

22 August 2007 (Gaz G34, 22 August 2007, p 7)

Justice Legislation Amendment (Penalties) Act 2010 (Act No. 12, 2010)

Assent date

20 May 2010

Commenced

1 July 2010 (Gaz G24, 16 June 2010, p 2)

Oaths, Affidavits and Declarations (Consequential Amendments) Act 2010 (Act No. 40, 2010)

Assent date

18 November 2010

Commenced

1 March 2011 (s 2, s 2 Oaths, Affidavits and Declarations Act 2010 (Act No. 39, 2010) and Gaz G7, 16 February 2011, p 4)

Co-operatives (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2015 (Act No. 13, 2015)

Assent date

22 May 2015

Commenced

1 July 2015 (Gaz S62, 23 June 2015)

Local Court (Related Amendments) Act 2016 (Act No. 8, 2016)

Assent date

1 April 2016

Commenced

1 May 2016 (s 2, s 2 Local Court (Repeals and Related Amendments) Act 2016 (Act No. 9, 2016) and Gaz S34, 29 April 2016)

Justice and Licensing Legislation Further Amendment Act 2022 (Act No. 21, 2022)

Assent date

31 October 2022

Commenced

pt 3: 1 February 2023; rem: 21 December 2022 (Gaz G50, 21 December 2022, p 1)

  • 3

    GENERAL AMENDMENTS

General amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the table of amendments to this reprint) are made by the Interpretation Legislation Amendment Act 2018 (Act No. 22, 2018) to: ss 1 and 5 and sch.

  • 4

    LIST OF AMENDMENTS

lt                       amd No. 29, 1981, s 2

ss 1 – 2              amd No. 29, 1981, s 2

s 3                     rep No. 37, 1980, s 6

s 5                     amd No. 29, 1981, s 2; No. 18, 1986, s 3; No. 59, 1990, s 4; No. 17, 2001, s 21; No. 62, 2001, s 15; No. 1, 2007, s 65; No. 13, 2015, s 26; No. 21, 2022, s 52

s 6                     amd No. 54, 1978, s 4; No. 1, 2007, s 66

sub No. 21, 2022, s 53

ss 7 – 8              amd No. 29, 1981, s 2

ss 9 – 10            amd No. 29, 1981, s 2; No. 91, 1981, s 2

s 11                   amd No. 29, 1981, s 2; No. 12, 2010, s 3

s 12                   amd No. 54, 1978, s 4

s 13                   amd No. 29, 1981, s 2; No. 12, 2010, s 3

s 14                   amd No. 29, 1981, s 2; No. 68, 1983, s 108; No. 12, 2010, s 3

s 16                   amd No. 17, 1996, s 6

rep No. 8, 2016, s 15

s 17                   amd No. 29, 1981, s 2

sch hdg             om No. 29, 1981, s 2

sch 1                 amd No. 29, 1981, s 2

sch 2                 amd No. 29, 1981, s 2; No. 40, 2010, s 14

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