55Conduct of directors, servants and agents

55 Conduct of directors, servants and agents

(1) Where it is necessary to establish, for the purposes of this Act or the regulations, the state of mind of a body corporate in relation to particular conduct, it is sufficient to show: (a) that the conduct was engaged in by a director, servant or agent of the body corporate within the scope of his or her actual or apparent authority; and (b) that the director, servant or agent had the state of mind. (2) Any conduct engaged in on behalf of a body corporate by a director, servant or agent of the body corporate within the scope of his or her actual or apparent authority shall be deemed, for the purposes of this Act and the regulations, to have been engaged in also by the body corporate unless the body corporate establishes that the body corporate took reasonable precautions and exercised due diligence to avoid the conduct. (3) Where it is necessary to establish, for the purposes of this Act or the regulations, the state of mind of a person other than a body corporate in relation to particular conduct, it is sufficient to show: (a) that the conduct was engaged in by a servant or agent of the person within the scope of his or her actual or apparent authority; and (b) that the servant or agent had the state of mind. (4) Any conduct engaged in on behalf of a person other than a body corporate by a servant or agent of the person within the scope of his or her apparent authority shall be deemed, for the purposes of this Act and the regulations, to have been engaged in also by the first‑mentioned person unless the first‑mentioned person establishes that the first‑mentioned person took reasonable precautions and exercised due diligence to avoid the conduct. (5) Where: (a) a person other than a body corporate is convicted of an offence; and (b) the person would not have been convicted of the offence if subsections (3) and (4) had not been enacted; the person is not liable to be punished by imprisonment for that offence. (6) A reference in subsection (1) or (3) to the state of mind of a person includes a reference to: (a) the knowledge, intention, opinion, belief or purpose of the person; and (b) the person’s reasons for the intention, opinion, belief or purpose. (7) A reference in this section to a director of a body corporate includes a reference to a constituent member of a body corporate incorporated for a public purpose by a law of the Commonwealth, of a State or of a Territory. (8) A reference in this section to engaging in conduct includes a reference to failing or refusing to engage in conduct.