Section 135 — Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)

Companies to which replaceable rules apply

(1) A section or subsection (except subsection 129(1), this section and sections 140 and 141) whose heading contains the words:

(a) replaceable rule—applies as a replaceable rule to:

(i) each company that is or was registered after 1 July 1998; and

(ii) any company registered before 1 July 1998 that repeals or repealed its constitution after that day; and

(b) replaceable rule for proprietary companies and mandatory rule for public companies—applies:

(i) as a replaceable rule to any proprietary company that is or was registered after 1 July 1998; and

(ii) as a replaceable rule to any company that is or was registered after 1 July 1998 and that changes or changed to a proprietary company (but only while it is a proprietary company); and

(iii) as a replaceable rule to any proprietary company that is or was registered before 1 July 1998 that repeals or repealed its constitution after that day; and

(iv) as an ordinary provision of this Act to any public company whenever registered.

The section or subsection does not apply to a proprietary company while the same person is both its sole director and sole shareholder.

Note 1: See sections 198E, 201F and 202C for the special provisions that apply to a proprietary company while the same person is both its sole director and sole shareholder.

Note 2: A company may include in its constitution (by reference or otherwise) a replaceable rule that does not otherwise apply to it.

Note 3: Paragraph (a) does not apply for CCIVs: see section 1223A.

Company’s constitution can displace or modify replaceable rules

(2) A provision of a section or subsection that applies to a company as a replaceable rule can be displaced or modified by the company’s constitution.

Failure to comply with replaceable rules

(3) A failure to comply with the replaceable rules as they apply to a company is not of itself a contravention of this Act (so the provisions about criminal liability, civil liability and injunctions do not apply).

Note: Replaceable rules that apply to a company have effect as a contract (see section 140).

Related sections

• s 132 — Person may be released from liability but is not entitled to indemnity
• s 133 — This Part replaces other rights and liabilities
• s 134 — Internal management of companies
• s 136 — Constitution of a company
• s 137 — Date of effect of adoption, modification or repeal of constitution
• s 138 — ASIC may direct company to lodge consolidated constitution

Research how courts apply s 135

BriefBridge searches Australian caselaw by meaning — every answer cited to the paragraph.