Under s 8(a) of the Construction Contracts (Security of Payments) Act (NT), a 'payment dispute' arises only on the due date for payment under the contract, not at an earlier date when the claim is rejected or disputed. A party whose payment claim has been rejected before the due date must wait until the due date before applying for adjudication. An application made before that date is premature and the adjudicator lacks jurisdiction. The Western Australian authorities construing the equivalent WA provision differently do not apply because of the textual difference between 'when' (NT) and 'by the time when' (WA).
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