68 Limited partner not to take part in incorporated limited
partnership’s management
(1) A limited partner in an incorporated limited partnership must not take
part in the management of the incorporated limited partnership’s
business.
(2) Subsection (3) applies if—
(a) as a direct result of any wrongful act or omission of a limited
partner in an incorporated limited partnership in taking part in
the management of the partnership’s business, the limited
partner causes any loss or injury to someone who is not a partner
in the partnership (a third party); and
(b) at the time of the act or omission the third party had reasonable
grounds to believe that the limited partner was a general partner
in the partnership.
(3) The limited partner is liable for the loss or injury to the same extent
that the limited partner would have been liable if the limited partner
were a general partner in the partnership.
Note A limited partner is not an agent of the incorporated limited partnership,
and the acts of a limited partner do not bind a general partner, another
limited partner or the partnership itself (see s 66 (1)).
(4) A limited partner in an incorporated limited partnership is not to be
regarded as taking part in the management of the partnership’s
business only because the limited partner or a person acting on behalf
of the limited partner—
(a) is an employee of, or an independent contractor engaged by, the
partnership, a general partner in the partnership or an associate
of the general partner, or is an officer of a general partner that is
a corporation or of an associate of a general partner that is a
corporation; or
(b) gives advice to, or on behalf of, the partnership, a general partner
in the partnership or an associate of a general partner in the
proper exercise of functions arising from the engagement of the
limited partner, or a person acting on behalf of the limited
partner, in a professional capacity or arising from business
dealings between the limited partner, or a person acting on
behalf of the limited partner, and the partnership or a general
partner or an associate of the general partner; or
(c) gives a guarantee or indemnity in relation to any liability of the
partnership, a general partner in the partnership or an associate
of the general partner; or
(d) takes any action, or participates in any action taken by any other
limited partner in the partnership, for the purpose of enforcing
the rights, or safeguarding the interests, of the limited partner as
a limited partner; or
(e) if permitted by the partnership agreement—
(i) calls, requisitions, convenes, chairs, participates in,
postpones, adjourns or makes a record of a meeting of the
partners, the limited partners or any of them; or
(ii) requisitions, signs, or otherwise passes, approves,
disapproves or amends any resolution (whether or not at a
meeting or in writing) of the partners, the limited partners
or any of them, including by formulating, moving,
proposing, supporting, opposing, speaking to or voting on
the resolution; or
(f) exercises a power of the limited partner under subsection (5) or
has, or exercises, a right to—
(i) have access to and inspect the books or records of the
partnership or copy any of them; or
(ii) examine the state or prospects of the business of the
partnership or advise, or consult with, other partners in
relation to them; or
(g) gives advice to, consults with, or is or acts as an officer, director,
security holder, partner, agent, representative, employee of, or
independent contractor engaged by, an associate of the
(h) is or acts as a lender to, or fiduciary for, an associate of the
(i) to the extent authorised by the partnership agreement,
participates on, or has or exercises any right to appoint 1 or more
people to, remove 1 or more people from, or to nominate 1 or
more people for appointment to or removal from, a committee
that considers, approves of, consents to or disapproves of any 1
or more of the following proposals from a general partner:
(i) a proposal involving a material change in the nature of the
partnership’s business (including a change in, or departure
from, any investment guidelines, policies or conditions
relating to the partnership’s business);
(ii) a proposal for the adoption of a method for valuing some
or all of the partnership’s assets (including a change to,
replacement of or variation from the method);
(iii) a proposal for an extension or reduction in the period in
which, under the partnership agreement, investments (or
certain kinds of investments) can be made by the
partnership, or for any approval or disapproval of
investments that the partnership does not otherwise have a
right to make;
(iv) a proposal relating to any actual or potential transaction or
anything else involving any actual or potential conflict of
interest;
(v) a proposal relating to any actual or potential transaction,
contract, arrangement or understanding between 1 or more
of the partners, or their associates, and the general partner,
the partnership or any associate of the general partner or of
the partnership;
(vi) a proposal for the delegation, waiver, release or variation
of an authority, right, duty or obligation of the general
partner;
(vii) a proposal for the appointment or approval under the
partnership agreement of anyone as a senior executive of
the general partner or an associate of the general partner;
or
(j) nominates, selects, investigates, evaluates or negotiates with
anyone in relation to the removal or replacement of a general
partner, or participates on a committee that proposes, considers,
approves of, consents to or disapproves of any nomination,
selection, appointment, change in control or ownership,
suspension, replacement or removal of a general partner or an
associate of a general partner; or
(k) takes any action, or participates in any action taken by any other
limited partner, for the purpose of registering or maintaining the
registration of the partnership or a general partner in the
partnership as a VCLP, ESVCLP or AFOF under the Venture
Capital Act 2002 (Cwlth), part 2 (Registration of limited
partnerships).
(5) A limited partner in an incorporated limited partnership or a person
authorised by the limited partner may, if and to the extent the partner
or person is authorised by the partnership agreement—
(a) have access to and inspect the books or records of the
partnership or copy any of them; and
(b) examine the state or prospects of the business of the partnership
and advise, or consult with, other partners in relation to them.
(6) The operation of this section may not be varied by the partnership
agreement or with the consent of the partners, whether given under
the partnership agreement or otherwise.
Note Section 66 (4) (Relationship of partners to others and between
themselves) enables partners to give consent in accordance with the
(7) Subsection (4) does not imply that a limited partner in an incorporated
limited partnership is to be regarded as taking part in the management
of the partnership’s business only because the limited partner or a
person acting on behalf of the partner does any thing in relation to the
conduct of that business that is not mentioned in that subsection.
(8) For this section, a limited partner in an incorporated limited
partnership that is a venture capital management partnership under
the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cwlth), section 94D (3)
(Corporate limited partnerships) is not to be regarded as taking part
in the management of the partnership’s business only because of any
act the limited partner takes in relation to the incorporated limited
partnership in the capacity of a partner or associate of a partner in the
venture capital management partnership.