Author: David McAndrew KC
The Supreme Court of Victoria has held that payment claims under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) served before a “reference date” are invalid, notwithstanding a contractual deeming provision to the contrary.
An item of work in a payment claim which has not been paid may be claimed again and again as a component of successive payment claims provided the payment claim itself is valid. The limitation period in s 14(4)(b) of the Security of Payment Act only applies to the payment claim.
The Court of Appeal has found that a judge’s exercise of the discretion to construe a recourse provision on an ‘as if final’ basis on an application for an interlocutory injunction to restrain recourse to performance securities miscarried.