Trans-Tasman Proceedings Amendment and Other Measures Act 2011

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Legislation au C2011A00064 In force Act

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TransTasman Proceedings Amendment and Other Measures Act 2011

 

No. 64, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend the TransTasman Proceedings Act 2010 and to validate certain court fees, and for related purposes

 

 

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedule(s)

Schedule 1—Amendments relating to staying an Australian proceeding on forum grounds

TransTasman Proceedings Act 2010

Schedule 2—Other amendments

TransTasman Proceedings Act 2010

TransTasman Proceedings (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Act 2010

Schedule 3—Validation of certain court fees

 

 

 

Trans-Tasman Proceedings Amendment and Other Measures Act 2011

No. 64, 2011

 

 

 

An Act to amend the TransTasman Proceedings Act 2010 and to validate certain court fees, and for related purposes

[Assented to 29 June 2011]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the TransTasman Proceedings Amendment and Other Measures Act 2011.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Provision(s)

Commencement

Date/Details

1.  Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent.

29 June 2011

2.  Schedules 1 and 2

Immediately after the commencement of section 3 of the TransTasman Proceedings Act 2010.

11 October 2013

3.  Schedule 3

The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

30 June 2011

Note:  This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedule(s)

  Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.


Schedule 1—Amendments relating to staying an Australian proceeding on forum grounds

 

Trans‑Tasman Proceedings Act 2010

1  Section 3 (paragraph relating to Part 3)

Omit “matters in dispute”, substitute “matters in issue”.

2  Section 16 (first paragraph)

Omit “appropriate court to determine the matters in dispute”, substitute “appropriate court to determine the matters in issue”.

3  Section 16 (third paragraph)

Omit “all the matters in dispute”, substitute “the matters in issue”.

4  Section 16 (last paragraph)

Omit “the court to determine the matters in dispute”, substitute “the court to determine the matters in issue”.

5  Subsection 17(1)

Omit “matters in dispute”, substitute “matters in issue”.

6  Paragraph 19(1)(a)

Omit “all the matters in dispute”, substitute “the matters in issue”.

7  Subsection 19(3)

Omit “all matters in dispute”, substitute “the matters in issue”.

8  Paragraphs 20(1)(a) and (2)(e)

Omit “matters in dispute”, substitute “matters in issue”.

9  Subsection 20(3)

Omit “matters in dispute”, substitute “matters in issue”.


Schedule 2—Other amendments

 

Trans‑Tasman Proceedings Act 2010

1  Section 4 (paragraph (d) of the definition of criminal proceeding)

After “compensation”, insert “, damages or reparation”.

2  Section 4 (paragraph (b) of the definition of entitled person)

After “compensation”, insert “, damages or reparation”.

3  Section 4 (subparagraph (b)(ii) of the definition of excluded matter)

Omit “Interpretation Act 1999”, substitute “Property (Relationships) Act 1976”.

4  Subsection 8(3)

Omit “the NZ Act to be an Australian court for the purposes of subpart 5 of Part 2 of that Act”, substitute “section 55 of the NZ Act to be a tribunal to which subpart 5 of Part 2 of that Act applies”.

5  Subsection 20(2)

Omit “However, subsection (1)”, substitute “Paragraph (1)(a)”.

6  After subsection 20(2)

Insert:

 (2A) Paragraph (1)(b) does not apply to an exclusive choice of court agreement if the Australian court is satisfied that it is null and void under Australian law (including the rules of private international law).

7  Subsection 26(2)

Repeal the subsection.

8  Subsection 56(2)

Omit “in allowing a person in Australia to appear remotely”, substitute “in relation to a remote appearance by a person in Australia”.

9  Before subparagraph 61(1)(b)(i)

Insert:

 (ia) a party to the proceeding; or

10  After subparagraph 61(2)(b)(ii)

Insert:

 (iia) a party to the proceeding; or

11  Subsection 66(4)

Omit all the words after “subparagraph (1)(b)(i)”, substitute:

  if the judgment:

 (a) is not made in connection with the performance of an adjudicative function; or

 (b) is not enforceable without an order of a court; or

 (c) imposes a civil pecuniary penalty.

Trans‑Tasman Proceedings (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Act 2010

12  Item 2 of Schedule 1

Omit all the words after “forum)”, substitute:

applies to an application made under that Part on or after commencement by a defendant to a civil proceeding that:

 (a) was commenced in an Australian court on or after commencement; or

 (b) was commenced in an Australian court before commencement, but only if an initiating document for the proceeding was served on the defendant in New Zealand after commencement under Part 2 of that Act.


Schedule 3—Validation of certain court fees

 

1  Validation of court fees for de facto financial proceedings

(1) If:

 (a) during the relevant period, proceedings under the Family Law Act 1975 were instituted in a court (other than the Federal Magistrates Court); and

 (b) the proceedings were de facto financial proceedings; and

 (c) apart from this item, a court fee for the proceedings:

 (i) was not payable under the Family Law Regulations 1984 in relation to the period; but

 (ii) would have been so payable if, at all times during the period, references in those regulations to “financial or Part VII proceedings” had included a reference to “de facto financial proceedings”;

then the court fee is taken to have been so payable.

(2) In this item:

de facto financial proceedings means any of the proceedings mentioned in paragraphs (a) to (f) of the definition of de facto financial cause in subsection 4(1) of the Family Law Act 1975.

relevant period means the period that:

 (a) starts on 1 March 2009; and

 (b) ends on 25 November 2010.

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 2 March 2011

Senate on 12 May 2011]

(35/11)

 

Overview

The Trans-Tasman Proceedings Amendment and Other Measures Act 2011 was enacted by the Parliament of Australia to amend the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010 and validate certain court fees, addressing issues related to legal proceedings between Australia and New Zealand. The Act aims to refine the mechanisms for staying Australian proceedings based on forum grounds, making specific amendments to the terminology and definitions within the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010. Additionally, the Act provides for the validation of certain court fees for de facto financial proceedings, ensuring that fees for these proceedings are appropriately accounted for during a specified period. The legislative changes are designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of cross-jurisdictional legal processes, ultimately supporting the policy objective of facilitating smoother legal interactions between Australia and New Zealand.

Scope and Application

The Trans-Tasman Proceedings Amendment and Other Measures Act 2011 amends the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010, which facilitates cooperation between Australian and New Zealand courts in trans-Tasman legal matters. This Act applies to proceedings in both countries that were initiated on or after the specified commencement dates, which vary between sections and schedules, with the earliest being the day the Act received Royal Assent on 29 June 2011, and the latest being 11 October 2013 for certain provisions. The Act applies to persons and entities involved in proceedings that fall within the scope of the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010. It targets the conduct and transactions of those involved in trans-Tasman legal matters, particularly focusing on the terminology and procedural aspects of such proceedings. The geographic and jurisdictional reach of the Act is within the Commonwealth of Australia, impacting entities and individuals engaged in legal processes that cross the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. The Act does not specify any exclusions, exemptions, or thresholds within the text provided, though it does extend and restrict the application of the original Act through amendments and validations. The Act also validates certain court fees associated with de facto financial proceedings under the Family Law Act 1975, clarifying the applicability of fees during a specified period from 1 March 2009 to 25 November 2010.

Key Provisions

The Trans-Tasman Proceedings Amendment and Other Measures Act 2011 primarily amends the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010 and validates certain court fees. Section 1 specifies that this Act may be cited as the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Amendment and Other Measures Act 2011. The commencement of the Act's provisions is detailed in Section 2, with certain sections and schedules starting on different dates. For instance, sections 1 to 3 and any other unspecified provisions of the Act commenced on 29 June 2011, the day the Act received Royal Assent. Schedules 1 and 2 of the Act commenced on 11 October 2013, immediately after the commencement of section 3 of the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010. Schedule 3, which validates certain court fees, commenced the day after the Act received Royal Assent, on 30 June 2011. The Act imposes several obligations and requirements on the parties and entities it governs. For example, it mandates changes to terminology within the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010, replacing "matters in dispute" with "matters in issue" across multiple sections to ensure consistency and clarity (Schedule 1, items 1 to 9). Furthermore, it updates definitions within the Trans-Tasman Proceedings Act 2010 to include additional terms like "damages or reparation" and corrects references to relevant acts and tribunals (Schedule 2, items 1 to 6). The Act also includes provisions for validating certain court fees for de facto financial proceedings under the Family Law Act 1975 during a specific period (Schedule 3, item 1). For breaches of the provisions outlined in this Act, penalties and consequences may apply, although specific offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences are not detailed within the Act itself. The penalties for breaches would depend on the specific context and the relevant legislation under which the breach occurs. The Act's amendments and validations aim to ensure the smooth operation of trans-Tasman legal proceedings and the proper administration of court fees.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Conflict of Laws
Instrument
Act
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Repeal & Amendment
Validation of Fees

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.