(1) *[Section 7 Subsection (1) amended by No. 62 of 1984, s. 7 ]*Whenever an inspector has reason to believe that a building, part of a building, or place, or other premises is a shop and that the building, part of a building, or place, or other premises is open for business as such, he may, for the purposes of this Act, enter and remain in the building, part of a building, or place, or other premises.
(2) *[Section 7 Subsection (2) amended by No. 62 of 1984, s. 7 ]**[Section 7 Subsection (2) amended by No. 114 of 1987, s. 7 ]*Where an inspector enters a building, part of a building, or place, or other premises pursuant to subsection (1) , he may –
(a) require the occupier to produce for inspection any record required to be kept in relation to the building, part of the building, or place, or other premises in accordance with section 6 ;
(ab) require the occupier to produce for inspection a true copy of any franchise agreement in force in relation to the operation of the shop that is required to be kept in accordance with section 6 ;
(b) inspect any record produced pursuant to paragraph (a) or any document produced pursuant to paragraph (ab) and make a copy of any such record or document or of any part of any such record or document;
(c) make such inspections, examinations, and inquiries as he thinks necessary to ascertain whether or not a provision of this Act is being or has been contravened or complied with; and
(d) examine, with respect to matters with which this Act is concerned, any person apparently employed in or in connection with a shop carried on within or at the building, part of a building, or place, or other premises.
(2A) *[Section 7 Subsection (2A) inserted by No. 114 of 1987, s. 7 ]**[Section 7 Subsection (2A) amended by No. 5 of 1990, s. 3 and Sched. 1 ]*Wherever an inspector has reason to believe that a franchise agreement is in force in relation to the operation of a shop, he may, for the purposes of this Act, enter and remain in –
(a) the registered office in Tasmania or place or principal place of business in Tasmania of the franchisor; or
(b) such other place as the Secretary has, pursuant to section 6(1B) , approved as a place in Tasmania at which the franchisor is required to cause a copy of the franchise agreement to be kept.
(2B) *[Section 7 Subsection (2B) inserted by No. 114 of 1987, s. 7 ]*Where an inspector enters an office or other place pursuant to subsection (2A) , he may –
(a) require the person in charge or apparently in charge of that office or other place to produce for inspection a true copy of the franchise agreement required to be kept at that office or other place pursuant to section 6 ;
(b) inspect any document produced pursuant to paragraph (a) and make a copy of any such document or of any part of any such document; and
(c) make such inspections, examinations, and inquiries as he thinks necessary to ascertain whether or not section 6(1B) is being complied with.
(3) *[Section 7 Subsection (3) amended by No. 62 of 1984, s. 7 ][Section 7 Subsection (3) amended by No. 113 of 1987, s. 5 and Sched. 1 ][Section 7 Subsection (3) amended by No. 114 of 1987, s. 7 ]*Any person who –
(a) refuses or deliberately delays the admission of an inspector –
(i) to a building, part of a building, or place, or other premises which he is seeking to enter pursuant to subsection (1) ; or
(ii) to a registered office or other place which he is seeking to enter pursuant to subsection (2A) ;
(b) without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a requirement made of him under subsection (2)(a) , (2)(ab) , or (2B)(a) ;
(c) obstructs or hinders an inspector in the exercise by him of his powers under this Act; or
(d) without reasonable excuse, fails to answer a question put by the inspector during the course of an examination under subsection (2) or (2B) or gives an answer which, to the knowledge of that person, is false or misleading as to a material particular –
is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 10 penalty units.
(4) *[Section 7 Subsection (4) amended by No. 62 of 1984, s. 7 ]**[Section 7 Subsection (4) substituted by No. 114 of 1987, s. 7 ]*Where, in the course of an examination or inquiry –
(b) under subsection (2B) , an answer is given to an inspector by an officer of a corporation within the meaning of that Act at the registered office of the corporation, or other place, where the question was put –
the answer is, for the purposes of any proceedings against the corporation under this Act, admissible in evidence against the corporation unless it is proved that the answer was given in relation to a matter in respect of which the officer had no authority to bind the corporation.
(5) The provisions of subsection (4) are in addition to any rule of law relating to the admissibility in evidence of statements made by any officer of a corporation.
(6) *[Section 7 Subsection (6) amended by No. 62 of 1984, s. 7 ]**[Section 7 Subsection (6) amended by No. 114 of 1987, s. 7 ]*An inspector is not entitled to enter a building, part of a building, or place, or other premises under subsection (1) or to enter any registered office or other place under subsection (2A) if he fails to produce, at the time of entry, evidence of his appointment as an inspector to the occupier of that building, part of a building, or place, or those other premises.