<snip>
> Perhaps, Pat, you can give us some more info on this statement:
>
>>> I know that the Australian law specifically provides for a contract
>>> to be 'null and void' if any unit other than an 'Australian legal
>>> unit of measurement' is used in a contract.
I was referring to this part of the Australian NATIONAL MEASUREMENT ACT 1960.
SECT 12
Trade contracts etc. to be expressed in Australian legal units of measurement
(1)
On and after the date from which the Australian legal units of measurement of a physical quantity are the sole legal units of measurement of that physical quantity, every contract, dealing or other transaction made or entered into for any work, goods or other thing that is to be done, sold, carried or agreed for by measurement of that physical quantity shall be made or entered into by reference to Australian legal units of measurement of that physical quantity, and if not so made or entered into is void.
The addition of the words 'null and' before the word 'void' seems to be due to my faulty memory.
> Does "legal unit of measurement" mean "metric only"? How do courts
> avoid inevitable inequities by voiding otherwise valid contracts?
The words 'legal unit of measurement' are very carefully defined in the Australian 'National Measurement Regulations 1999' subtitled 'Statutory Rules 1999 NO. 110'
Of the units listed in these regulations there are:
7 SI base units of measurement
The standard SI set
17 SI derived units of measurement
The four that are missing on comparison with the SI pamphlet are: radian, steradian, degree Celsius, and sievert. I have no idea why these 4 were left out.
19 Non-SI units of measurement used with SI units of measurement
The first 5 are: decibel, hectare, electron-volt, stokes, and nautical mile.
8 Additional legal units of measurement
These are inch, foot, troy ounce, horsepower, millibar, millimetre of mercury, foot per minute, and kilocalorie. These 8 are very carefully circumscribed with a special section called 'Purposes for which additional legal units of measurement may be used' and these are essentially legacy issues such as 'millibar -- air pressure in the aviation industry' or 'millimetre of mercury -- blood pressure'.
As time goes by this list is getting less and less; there were 43 of these in 1993 and only 8 in 1999.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin ASM (NSAA), LCAMS (USMA)*
PO Box 305, Belmont, Geelong, Australia
Phone 61 3 5241 2008
Pat Naughtin is the editor of the free online monthly newsletter, 'Metrication matters'.
You can subscribe by going to http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter
* Pat is the editor of the 'Numbers and measurement' chapter of the Australian Government Publishing Service 'Style manual – for writers, editors and printers', he is an Accredited Speaking Member (ASM) with the National Speakers Association of Australia, and a Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist (LCAMS) with the United States Metric Association. For more information go to: http://metricationmatters.com
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