Log in or register
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn

ARTICLE · 14 MARCH 2022

Electronic signing here to stay for company documents

Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
Explore more from Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers

The changes clarify, and effectively make permanent, the relief measures for signing and/or executing company documents.

AustraliaCorporate/Commercial Law
Michael Deacon
Michael Deacon
Nadine Martino
Nadine Martino
Author LinkedIn connections

On 22 February 2022, the Corporations Amendment (Meetings and Documents) Bill 2021  (Cth) (Bill) received royal assent. It introduces permanent changes to the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) to allow Australian companies to use technological measures to electronically execute company documents (including deeds).

The changes clarify, and effectively make permanent, temporary relief measures regarding the signing and/or execution of company documents which had been in place since March 2020.

Key requirements

The following requirements now apply to execution of company documents for Australian companies:

Signing of documents

  • A person can sign a document (including a deed) on behalf of a company under sections 126 or 127 of the Corporations Act by signing a physical form of the document by hand or an electronic form of the document electronically. Signing of other documents required by the Corporations Act which relate to certain meetings or

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

Register for freeORLog in

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

View source

Related Articles

Legal Intelligence Newsletters: sign up for the latest legal and regulatory news on your chosen topics

Read more about

Related Comparative Guides

See more popular content from

Video

Misrepresentation In Commercial Contracts Under Australian Law

Misrepresentation in commercial contracts can expose businesses to significant legal and financial consequences, particularly where inaccurate statements, misleading disclosures, or unrealistic forecasts induce entry into a transaction. Under Australian law, parties may pursue remedies through both common law misrepresentation claims and statutory misleading or deceptive conduct provisions under the Australian Consumer Law, with potential outcomes including rescission, damages, and compensation orders.
AustraliaCorporate/Commercial Law
Stonegate Legal
Stonegate Legal
Article

Frustration Of Contract Explained: Can You Legally Walk Away?

Frustration of contract is widely misunderstood in Australian law, with many assuming contracts automatically end when circumstances become difficult or expensive. This guide examines the strict legal test applied by Australian courts, explaining when supervening events truly discharge contractual obligations and why financial hardship, increased costs, and commercial difficulties typically fall short of the frustration threshold.
AustraliaCorporate/Commercial Law
Stonegate Legal
Stonegate Legal
Article

Force Majeure Clause Risks In Australia Explained

Force majeure clauses in Australian contracts determine whether extraordinary events can suspend, delay, or excuse contractual obligations, but relief depends entirely on precise wording and strict compliance with notice and mitigation requirements. Understanding when businesses can legally invoke force majeure versus when they risk breach of contract claims is critical for managing commercial disruption.
AustraliaCorporate/Commercial Law
Stonegate Legal
Stonegate Legal
Article

What Is The Liability Under A Contractor Agreement In Australia?

A contractor agreement determines who pays when work goes wrong. Independent contractors carry their own commercial risk, unlike employees, so the agreement allocates that risk in detail. Liability commonly arises from breach of contract, intellectual property infringement, and breaches of confidentiality. Indemnities, liability caps and insurance requirements are the three tools that allocate it. Australian law puts limits on that allocation. Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law apply automatically, and no contract can exclude them.
AustraliaCorporate/Commercial Law
LegalVision
LegalVision
Article

Dividend Payments - Key Issues For Australian Company Directors

Dividends are a common way for companies to distribute value to shareholders, but whether to declare or pay a dividend is not simply a commercial decision. Directors must ensure that any dividend complies with the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act), the company’s constitution and relevant governance requirements, while considering their duties to the company and its creditors.
AustraliaCorporate/Commercial Law
Bartier Perry Solicitors
Bartier Perry Solicitors
Article

Updates To Malaysia’s Proposed Patent Linkage Framework

Malaysia is drafting its first patent linkage framework for pharmaceutical products, scheduled for implementation on 1 May 2027 following CPTPP ratification. The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency has released draft guidelines establishing an administrative connection between drug registration and patent status, introducing notification requirements, suspension periods, and four application categories that will fundamentally reshape how innovators and generic manufacturers navigate market entry.
MalaysiaIntellectual Property
Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
Article

AI Patent Consultation: What Innovators Need To Know

Singapore's Ministry of Law and IPOS have launched a public consultation examining how the patent system should adapt to AI-assisted innovation, focusing on two critical questions: what level of human contribution qualifies for inventorship when AI participates in the inventive process, and how AI-generated technical disclosures should be treated as prior art. The consultation explores scenarios from AI-assisted drug discovery and raises significant implications for businesses developing RAG systems, AI age
SingaporeIntellectual Property
Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
Article

Australia | Proposed Tranche 2 Privacy Act Reforms: Exposure Draft And Consultation Paper Released

The Australian Government has released an exposure draft of the Privacy Amendment (Personal Data Protection) Bill 2026, proposing the most substantial reforms to the Privacy Act 1988 in recent times. These changes introduce a fair and reasonable test for data handling, enhanced consent requirements, expanded breach notification obligations, and new rights including data erasure for large digital platforms.
AustraliaPrivacy
Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
Article

Protecting The AI Systems Competitors Can Actually Copy

Businesses building AI products on third-party models face a critical intellectual property challenge: determining what parts of their AI systems can actually be protected when competitors have access to the same underlying models. This analysis explores where protectable value sits in AI workflows, from data retrieval and validation processes to system integration and deployment architecture, and why patent strategy must focus on the commercially defensible elements rather than just the AI model itself.
AustraliaIntellectual Property
Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers
Spruson & Ferguson Lawyers