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Commercial Arbitration (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011
12Grounds for challenge (Model Law Art 12)
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12 Grounds for challenge (Model Law Art 12)
(1) When a person is approached in connection with the person's
possible appointment as an arbitrator, the person must disclose any
circumstances likely to give rise to justifiable doubts as to the
person's impartiality or independence.
(2) An arbitrator, from the time of the arbitrator's appointment and
throughout the arbitral proceedings, must without delay disclose
any circumstances of the kind referred to in subsection (1) to the
parties unless they have already been informed of them by the
arbitrator.
(3) An arbitrator may be challenged only if circumstances exist that
give rise to justifiable doubts as to the arbitrator's impartiality or
independence, or if the arbitrator does not possess qualifications
agreed to by the parties.
(4) A party may challenge an arbitrator appointed by the party, or in
whose appointment the party has participated, only for reasons of
which the party becomes aware after the appointment has been
made.
(5) For the purposes of subsection (1), there are justifiable doubts as to
the impartiality or independence of a person approached in
connection with a possible appointment as arbitrator only if there is
a real danger of bias on the part of the person in conducting the
arbitration.
(6) For the purposes of subsection (3), there are justifiable doubts as to
the impartiality or independence of an arbitrator only if there is a
real danger of bias on the part of the arbitrator in conducting the
arbitration.
Note for section 12
This section (other than subsections (5) and (6)) is substantially the same as
Art 12 of the Model Law. Subsections (5) and (6) provide that the test for whether
there are justifiable doubts as to the impartiality or independence of a person or
arbitrator is whether there is a real danger of bias.