Section 274 — Competition and Consumer Act 2010: Indemnification of suppliers by manufacturers

(1) A manufacturer of goods is liable to indemnify a person (the supplier) who supplies the goods to a consumer if: (a) the supplier is liable to pay damages under section 259(4) to the consumer for loss or damage suffered by the consumer; and (b) the manufacturer is or would be liable under section 271 to pay damages to the consumer for the same loss or damage. (2) Without limiting subsection (1), a manufacturer of goods is liable to indemnify a person (the supplier) who supplies the goods to a consumer if: (a) the supplier incurs costs because the supplier is liable under this Part for a failure to comply with a guarantee that applies to the supply under Subdivision A of Division 1 of Part 3-2; and (b) the failure is: (i) a failure to comply with the guarantee under section 54; or (ii) a failure to comply with the guarantee under section 55 in relation to a disclosed purpose that the consumer made known to the manufacturer either directly or through the supplier or the person referred to in section 55(2)(a)(ii); or (iii) a failure to comply with the guarantee under section 56 in relation to a description that was applied to the goods by or on behalf of the manufacturer of the goods, or with the express or implied consent of the manufacturer. (3) The supplier may, with respect to the manufacturer’s liability to indemnify the supplier, commence an action against the manufacturer in a court of competent jurisdiction for such legal or equitable relief as the supplier could have obtained if that liability had arisen under a contract of indemnity made between them. (4) The supplier may commence the action at any time within 3 years after the earliest of the following days: (a) the day, or the first day, as the case may be, on which the supplier made a payment with respect to, or otherwise discharged in whole or in part, the liability of the supplier to the consumer; (b) the day on which a proceeding was commenced by the consumer against the supplier with respect to that liability or, if more than one such proceeding was commenced, the day on which the first such proceeding was commenced.