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Motor Vehicles Act 1949
35Conditions of use of trader's plates
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35 Conditions of use of trader's plates
(1) Subject to subsections (2) and (4), a trader's plate may be used on
a motor vehicle which is standing or being driven upon a public
street only where:
(a) the vehicle is in the possession or custody of the trader to
whom the plate has been issued or transferred or his
employee for manufacture, repair, painting, sale or exchange
or delivery to another trader, purchaser or owner;
(b) the vehicle is being used bona fide for a purpose connected
with the manufacture, repair, painting, testing, demonstration,
sale or exchange of the vehicle or its delivery to another
trader, purchaser or owner;
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(c) any person in or upon the vehicle is being carried otherwise
than for hire or any consideration and is bona fide interested
in, or employed for, a purpose mentioned in paragraph (b);
(d) any loading in or upon the vehicle is being conveyed solely for
the purpose of demonstrating the mass-carrying capacity of
the vehicle to a bona fide prospective purchaser;
(e) in the case of a towing vehicle owned by the trader, the
vehicle is being used by the trader or his employee for the
purpose of proceeding to and towing any disabled motor
vehicle; and
(f) the driver or person in charge of the vehicle is:
(i) the trader or an employee of the trader;
(ii) a prospective purchaser of the vehicle or his employee
or agent who is accompanied by the trader or an
employee of the trader; or
(iii) a prospective purchaser of the vehicle or his employee
or agent where the trader is licensed as a motor vehicle
dealer under the Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading
Act 1990.
(2) A trader referred to in subsection (1)(f)(iii) shall not permit a
prospective purchaser of a vehicle referred to in that subsection to
drive the vehicle except where, in addition to any other information
required to be kept by any other law in force in the Territory, the
name, the driver's licence number, address and signature of the
prospective purchaser has been recorded in a register kept by the
trader for that purpose.
(3) A trader referred to in subsection (1)(f)(iii) shall, on demand at any
reasonable time, produce the register required to be kept under
subsection (2) for inspection by the Registrar, an inspector or
member of the Police Force.
(4) The Registrar may, in his discretion, upon such conditions as he
(5) Where a motor vehicle bears a trader's plate in any of the
circumstances specified in this section, the person driving the
vehicle shall be deemed not to contravene section 33, 33A or 34 of
the Traffic Act 1987.
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