The New South Wales Government has announced that amendments to the Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW) (the Act) and Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Regulation 2008 (NSW) (the Regulations) will commence on 21 October 2019.
The Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Amendment Act 2018 (the Amendment Act) and the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Amendment Regulation 2019 (the Amendment Regulations) provide key amendments to the existing security of payment regime in NSW. The amendments will apply to construction contracts entered into on and from 21 October 2019, construction contracts entered into before this date will still be governed by the old regime.
Key amendments to the Act
We have previously given a detailed breakdown of the key amendments introduced by the Amendment Act here. A brief summary of those amendments is set out below:
Payment terms |
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Payment claims |
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Reference dates |
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Adjudications |
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Penalties |
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Key amendments to the Regulations
Owner Occupier |
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Penalty Notice Offences |
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Severance of adjudication decision
As noted above, the Amendment Act now provides a mechanism for the Court to sever parts of an adjudication that are 'infected' by jurisdictional error. This concept recently received judicial consideration in WA, where the majority of the Court of Appeal found that the common law principles of severance could be applied to remove the invalid portion of the adjudication determination.1 To read more on this case see here.
A recent English case also dealt with the issue of severance of an adjudication. The decision in Willow Corp S.à.r.l v MTD Contractors Limited [2019] EWHC 1591 (TCC) on 25 June 2019 permitted the part-enforcement of a flawed adjudication decision. While the case dealt with an error of law, rather than a jurisdiction error, the case highlighted the common sense approach that an adjudicators decision may be severed where the error may be contained to a specific and contained issue.
In this regard, the amendments to the Act may be seen as responsive to a growing trend of saving adjudicators' decisions where possible. Given that adjudicators' decisions are by their nature interim, this approach aligns with the purpose of the legislation, namely to maintain cash flow certainty for subcontractors. Queensland still offers no assistance in relation to an adjudication determination which contains jurisdictional error,2 highlighted by a recent decision handed down by the Queensland Supreme Court.3
Looking ahead
Industry participants must ensure they are aware of the 21 October 2019 commencement date. Some key practical tips are:
- Be mindful of what may or may not constitute a payment claim. Without the need for endorsement, an email or potentially even a text message could constitute a payment claim.
- Contract drafting will have to reflect the reduced time for payment between head contractors and subcontractors.
- Consider if a jurisdictional error contaminates the whole adjudication decision or whether it is a discrete, severable portion of the decision.
Footnotes
1 Duro Felguera Australia Pty Ltd v Samsung C&T Corporation [2018] WASCA 28
2 BM Alliance Coal Operations Pty Ltd v BGC Contracting Pty Ltd [2015] 1 Qd R 228
3 KDV Sport Pty Ltd v Muggeridge Constructions Pty Ltd & Ors [2019] QSC 178
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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