PERRAM J:
1 The Plaintiff is the Australian Securities and Investments Commission ('ASIC'). The Defendant ('Huntley') is one of the two members of the Huntley Group, the other member being Huntley Custodians Ltd. ASIC seeks the imposition of a civil penalty against Huntley for making false or misleading statements to the effect that its 'projects' were 'approved' by ASIC. The matter arises this way: Between 21 September 2010 and 21 September 2016, Huntley carried on business as the responsible entity of various managed investment schemes. The parties agreed that it did so by providing project management services in that capacity. At any one time in that period it was the responsible entity of between 11 and 22 such schemes. Over the whole period it was the responsible entity of over 40 schemes.
2 The facts giving rise to the present litigation centre around advertising publications by Huntley in which it suggested that its investment projects were 'approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission'.
3 There were four such publications. The first two were on Huntley's own website which it maintained with the domain name www.huntleygroup.com.au. From 21 September 2010 until 7 October 2015 (when they were taken down), two pages within that website contained the statement about which ASIC complains. One of these pages was entitled 'Focus' and was accessible in the familiar way by selecting it from a dropdown menu. This was the first publication. The evident intent of the 'Focus' page was to provide a description of Huntley's business. A copy of the contents of that Focus page appears in the Appendix to these reasons. The critical part was its second paragraph and was in these terms:
'The Huntley Group holds an Australian Financial Services Licence and acts as responsible entity, custodian, trustee and/or manager for over 40 managed investment projects approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and regulated by the Corporations Act in this capacity. The Huntley Group represents over thousands of private investors.'
(emphasis added)
4 A similar passage appeared on the 'Personnel' page of the website although this time it formed part of the last paragraph on that page. This was the second publication. So far as the issues with which this case is concerned, the 'Personnel' page is not materially different to the 'Focus' page and there is no need to set it out.
5 The suggestion that ASIC had approved Huntley's projects was taken down from its website on 7 October 2015. This occurred immediately after Huntley had received from ASIC two infringement notices dated 6 October 2015. One of these related to the website. It demanded the payment of a penalty of $10,200 in relation to the statements on the website on the basis that they had involved a contravention of s 12DB(1)(e) of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (Cth) ('the ASIC Act'). I return to s 12DB(1)(e), which is concerned with the making of false or misleading statements, below.
6 At the same time as ASIC issued an infringement notice in respect of the website, it also issued a second infringement notice which related to a newspaper advertisement which Huntley had placed in the print version of the Australian Financial Review ('the AFR') on 25 November 2014 and 11 February 2015. The two advertisements were identical. The advertisement of 25 November 2014 appeared on p 15 of the paper whilst that of 11 February 2015 appeared on p 17. These were the third and fourth publications. A copy of the advertisement appears in the Appendix to these reasons. It was 5x7 cms in size and contained, inter alia, this statement:
'We hold an AFS Licence Number 229754 and act as responsible entity, custodian, trustee and/or manager for investment projects approved by ASIC.'
(emphasis added)
7 On 25 November 2014, the circulation of the AFR was 57,061 copies. On 11 February 2015, it was 58,023.
8 The infringement notice issued by ASIC in relation to the two newspaper advertisements also alleged, like the other notice had, infringements of s 12DB(1)(e) of the ASIC Act and sought the payment of an identical penalty (i.e. $10,200).
9 Huntley did not pay either notice within the required time of 28 days. Although Huntley was unaware of this, ASIC subsequently extended that 28 day period by a further 28 days. Huntley's initial position in relation to the infringement notice was conveyed through its solicitor, Mr Jessup, by a letter sent to ASIC on 7 October 2015. Mr Jessup's position was that the word 'approved' merely meant registered so that the statement was not false. Mr Jessup also suggested that ASIC should withdraw the notices.
10 At the end of the second 28 day period, Huntley's view was that it was unable fully to consider whether it should pay the notices or not. This strikes me as unlikely. The issue was very short. There was no doubt that Huntley had said that its projects were 'approved' by ASIC and that, in the ordinary meaning of the word 'approved', this was not true. Mr Jessup had a different view I accept, but his opinion did not require any further information before it could be pursued.
11 In fact, as something of a postscript, Huntley did seek to pay both penalty notices on 22 March 2016 by tendering to ASIC the sum of $20,400. However, this payment was subsequently returned by ASIC to Huntley as having been paid too late.
12 It is now necessary to explain how the word 'approved' came to appear on Huntley's website and in the AFR advertisements.
13 Huntley is not a large organisation. It operates from premises on Bligh Street in Sydney's central business district. It employs three staff. Its operating profit after tax for the financial year ending 30 June 2015 was $243,293 and its total equity was $403,298. In the period between 21 September 2010 and 21 September 2016, two of its three staff members were:
Mr John Knox, managing director; and
Mr Bill Foxall, general manager and joint company secretary.
14 Also included in its senior management was Mr Antony Resnick who was a director in 2014 and 2015. It does not appear, however, that Mr Resnick was an employee. Huntley also had a board ('the Board') which, apart from Mr Knox, was made up of a number of non-executive directors. In addition to the Board, Huntley maintained a compliance committee.
15 In this comparatively modest structure, it was the general manager, Mr Bill Foxall, who at some point prior to 1 January 2010, first drafted the passage which later, on 21 September 2010, would appear on the 'Focus' and 'Personnel' pages of Huntley's website. The parties before the Court agreed that before the statement was published on the website on 21 September 2010 it had been approved by the Board and also by Huntley's external solicitor, Mr Jessup.
16 So far as the two advertisements are concerned, their origins may be discerned in events which took place in late November 2014. At around that time, a decision appears to have been made that Huntley should place an advertisement in the AFR promoting its services as a 'responsible entity for hire'. It retained BRI Ferrier to draft this advertisement.
17 The parties agreed that the wording of the advertisement had been taken from Huntley's website. As with the website itself, a draft of the advertisement was provided to Mr Jessup for his opinion. On 19 November 2014 at 7.54 am, Mr Knox emailed the proposed advertisement to Mr Jessup asking whether it was 'in order'. At 7.56 am, Mr Jessup replied that the only thing he would add was Huntley's AFSL licence number. This involved a tacit indication that the balance of the proposed advertisement was acceptable from a legal perspective. As already noted, the advertisement then appeared on 25 November 2014. Fairfax invoiced Huntley $2,569.38 for the advertisement.
18 The advertisement elicited some potential new business. At a directors' meeting held on 5 December 2014 at Bligh Street, Mr Knox reported to the Board that '8 enquiries had been received resulting from a recent advertisement placed in the Australian Financial Review'. One of the directors present, Mr Resnick, noted the success of the advertisement. Following some further discussion, the Board agreed that 'further advertising along similar lines should be undertaken as soon as possible'. The eight contacts did not result in any additional business, however.
19 The second advertisement was published on 11 February 2015. Huntley accepted that it should be seen as having been approved by each of Mr Knox, the Board and Mr Jessup. The yield from the second advertisement was this time only three inquiries and, as with the first advertisement, did not result in any new business.
20 The parties agreed that the conduct described above involved multiple contraventions of s 12DB(1)(e) of the ASIC Act. It provides:
'12DB False or misleading representations
(1) A person must not, in trade or commerce, in connection with the supply or possible supply of financial services, or in connection with the promotion by any means of the supply or use of financial services:
…
(e) make a false or misleading representation that services have sponsorship, approval, performance characteristics, uses or benefits; or
…'
21 Section 12DB is contained in Subdivision D which is about 'Consumer Protection'. This matters because s 12GBA in Subdivision G which is about "Enforcement and remedies' provides:
'12GBA Pecuniary penalties
(1) If the Court is satisfied that a person:
(a) has contravened a provision of Subdivision C, D or GC (other than section 12DA); or
(b) has attempted to contravene such a provision; or
(c) has aided, abetted, counselled or procured a person to contravene such a provision; or
(d) has induced, or attempted to induce, a person, whether by threats or promises or otherwise, to contravene such a provision; or
(e) has been in any way, directly or indirectly, knowingly concerned in, or party to, the contravention by a person of such a provision; or
(f) has conspired with others to contravene such a provision;
the Court may order the person to pay to the Commonwealth such pecuniary penalty, in respect of each act or omission by the person to which this section applies, as the Court determines to be appropriate.
(2) In determining the appropriate pecuniary penalty, the Court must have regard to all relevant matters including:
(a) the nature and extent of the act or omission and of any loss or damage suffered as a result of the act or omission; and
(b) the circumstances in which the act or omission took place; and
(c) whether the person has previously been found by the Court in proceedings under this Subdivision to have engaged in any similar conduct.
(3) The pecuniary penalty payable under subsection (1) is not to exceed the number of penalty units worked out using the following table:
Number of penalty units
Item For each act or omission to which this section applies that relates to ... the number of penalty units is not to exceed …
2 a provision of Subdivision C or D (other than section 12DA) (a) if the person is a body corporate - 10,000; or
(b) if the person is not a body corporate - 2,000.
3 section 12GYB (a) if the person is a body corporate - 150; or
(b) if the person is not a body corporate - 30.
4 section 12GYC (a) if the person is a body corporate - 250; or
(b) if the person is not a body corporate - 50.