155Reference of existing licence schemes to Tribunal

155  Reference of existing licence schemes to Tribunal

 (1) Where, at any time while a licence scheme is in operation, a dispute arises with respect to the terms of the scheme between the licensor operating the scheme and:

 (a) an organization claiming to be representative of persons requiring licences in cases included in a class of cases to which the scheme applies; or

 (b) any person claiming that he or she requires a licence in a case included in a class of cases to which the scheme applies;

the licensor, organization or person concerned may refer the scheme to the Tribunal in so far as the scheme relates to cases included in that class.

 (2) The parties to a reference under this section are:

 (a) the licensor, organization or person referring the scheme; and

 (b) if the reference is not made by the licensor operating the scheme—that licensor; and

 (c) such other organizations or persons (if any) as apply to the Tribunal to be made parties to the reference and, in accordance with the next succeeding subsection, are made parties to the reference; and

 (d) the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, if the Tribunal makes the Commission a party to the reference under section 157B.

 (3) Where an organization (whether claiming to be representative of persons requiring licences or not) or a person (whether requiring a licence or not) applies to the Tribunal to be made a party to a reference, and the Tribunal is satisfied that the organization or person has a substantial interest in the matter in dispute, the Tribunal may, if it thinks fit, make that organization or person a party to the reference.

 (4) The Tribunal shall not begin to consider a reference under this section by an organization unless the Tribunal is satisfied that the organization is reasonably representative of the class of persons that it claims to represent.

 (5) The Tribunal must consider the matter in dispute, give the parties an opportunity of presenting their cases then make an order that the Tribunal considers reasonable in the circumstances doing one of the following to the scheme so far as it relates to the relevant class:

 (a) confirming it;

 (b) varying it;

 (c) substituting for it another scheme proposed by one of the parties.

This subsection has effect to subsection (4).

 (6) An order (other than an interim order) of the Tribunal under this section may, notwithstanding anything contained in the licence scheme to which it relates, be made so as to be in force either indefinitely or for such period as the Tribunal thinks fit.

 (7) A reference of a licence scheme to the Tribunal under this section may be withdrawn at any time before an order is made in pursuance of the reference.