Preface xi

About the authors xii

Part 1 Business law 1

Chapter 1 Business and the law 2

Introduction 3

1.1 Law and the business person 4

1.2 The nature of law 5

1.3 Justice, ethics and politics 15

Chapter 2 The Australian legal system 27

Introduction 28

2.1 The Australian legal system 28

2.2 The Australian Constitution 42

2.3 The executive government 49

Chapter 3 Deliberately causing harm 63

Introduction 64

3.1 Causing harm 64

3.2 Deliberately causing harm to person or property 68

3.3 Deliberately causing financial harm 82

3.4 The consequences of causing harm 87

Chapter 4 Carelessly causing harm 97

Introduction 98

4.1 Carelessly causing harm to person or property 98

4.2 Carelessly causing financial harm 120

Chapter 5 Contract law: formation of the contract 129

Introduction 130

5.1 Contracts 131

5.2 Requirement 1: agreement 131

5.3 Requirement 2: intention 141

5.4 Requirement 3: consideration 144

5.5 Formalities 152

5.6 Capacity to contract 153

5.7 Legality 156

Chapter 6 Contract law: terms of the contract 163

Introduction 164

6.1 Express terms 165

6.2 Terms implied by the court 169

6.3 Statutory terms 171

6.4 Disclaimers 181

6.5 Unenforceable terms 184

6.6 Non-contractual representations and promises 185

Chapter 7 Contract law: enforcement of the contract 195

Introduction 196

7.1 Entitlement to enforce 196

7.2 Unenforceable contracts: lack of consent 199

7.3 Remedies 208

7.4 The end of the contract 216

Chapter 8 Contract law: working with agents 225

Introduction 226

8.1 Getting someone else to do it 226

8.2 Scope of authority 229

8.3 The agent’s duties 235

8.4 The agent’s entitlements 241

8.5 Liability of agent and principal 242

8.6 Concluding the agency 245

Chapter 9 Dealing with consumers 253

Introduction 254

9.1 Protecting consumers 254

9.2 Dealing with consumers 257

9.3 Consequences of contravention 282

9.4 Consumer privacy 287

Part 2 Company law 301

Chapter 10 Business organisations 302

Introduction 304

10.1 Choosing a business structure 304

10.2 Sole traders 308

10.3 Partnerships 311

10.4 Joint ventures 318

10.5 Trusts 320

10.6 Companies 327

10.7 Cooperatives 331

10.8 Incorporated associations 334

10.9 Hybrid business structures 336

10.10 Business names 338

Chapter 11 Companies and incorporation 347

Introduction 348

11.1 Company regulation in Australia 349

11.2 Classes of companies 350

11.3 Starting a company 357

11.4 Separate legal entity 361

11.5 Corporate groups 363

11.6 The corporate veil 364

11.7 Limited liability 368

Chapter 12 Company constitution 375

Introduction 376

12.1 Rules and procedures 376

12.2 Replaceable rules 378

12.3 The company constitution 382

12.4 Objects clause 385

12.5 Who is bound by the replaceable rules and constitution? 387

12.6 Changing the rules of a company 390

Chapter 13 Membership, members’ powers and dividends 397

Introduction 398

13.1 Members’ rights 398

13.2 Members’ meetings 409

13.3 Dividends 421

Chapter 14 Members’ remedies 429

Introduction 430

14.1 Members’ rights and remedies 431

14.2 Statutory remedies 434

14.3 Statutory derivative action 441

14.4 Personal action 444

Chapter 15 Corporate governance and company management 453

Introduction 454

15.1 Corporate governance 454

15.2 Officers 458

15.3 Roles and powers of directors and members 462

15.4 Appointment, remuneration, resignation, removal 469

Chapter 16 Directors’ and officers’ duties A 479

Introduction 481

16.1 Officers’ duties 481

16.2 The duty of care and diligence 485

16.3 The standard of care 487

16.4 Diligence 491

16.5 Defences against a breach of duty of care and diligence 493

16.6 The duty to prevent insolvent trading and creditor-defeating dispositions 496

Chapter 17 Directors’ and officers’ duties B 509

Introduction 510

17.1 Good faith 510

17.2 Best interests of the company 512

17.3 Proper purpose 515

17.4 Conflict of interest under general law 517

17.5 Statutory provisions relating to conflict of interest 522

17.6 Remedies and penalties for breach of duty 525

Chapter 18 Financing a company via equity or debt 533

Introduction 534

18.1 Choosing between equity and debt 534

18.2 Issuing shares 536

18.3 Different types of shares 539

18.4 Debt financing 542

18.5 Debentures 543

18.6 Security for debts 546

Chapter 19 Receivership and administration 555

Introduction 556

19.1 Insolvency 557

19.2 Receivership 560

19.3 Voluntary administration and small business debt restructuring 566

Chapter 20 Liquidation 577

Introduction 578

20.1 Liquidation or winding up 579

20.2 Appointment of a liquidator 582

20.3 Property available to a liquidator 584

20.4 Final distributions and deregistration 589

Appendix A 595

Index 625

Business and Company Law, 3rd Edition

Business and Company Law, 3rd Edition