Greylag Goose Leasing 1410 Designated Activity Company v P.T. Garuda Indonesia Ltd [2023] NSWCA 134

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Greylag Goose Leasing 1410 Designated Activity Company v P.T. Garuda Indonesia Ltd [2023] NSWCA 134 Hearing dates: 26 May 2023 Date of orders: 14 June 2023 Decision date: 14 June 2023 Before: Bell CJ at [1]; Meagher JA at [79]; Kirk JA at [80] Decision: 1. Grant leave to appeal. 2. Appeal dismissed with costs. Catchwords: CORPORATIONS — Insolvency — Application to wind up foreign air carrier — foreign carrier a "separate entity of a foreign State" within the meaning of the Foreign States Immunities Act 1985 (Cth) (FSIA) — whether separate entity entitled to immunity under s 9 of FSIA — whether proceedings fell within an exception to the general immunity – proper construction of s 14(3) of FSIA — whether application to wind up a separate entity of a foreign State fell within exception or whether exception was confined to proceedings where foreign State or separate entity had an interest in property in proceedings concerning the bankruptcy, insolvency or the winding up of a body corporate PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW — Jurisdiction — Immunities – Foreign States Immunities Act 1985 (Cth) (FSIA) — where winding up proceedings brought against separate entity of a foreign state – where separate entity claims immunity under s 9 of FSIA – whether nature of proceedings within s 14(3)(a) of FSIA and thus within an exception to the s 9 immunity — proper construction of s 14(3) of FSIA — relevance of Australian Law Reform Commission Report No. 24 Foreign State Immunity in construction of FSIA and ascertainment of statutory purpose — whether proceedings for the winding up of a "separate entity" within the meaning of the FSIA were proceedings concerning the bankruptcy, insolvency or the winding up of a body corporate – whether exception to statutory immunity on its proper construction applies to suscept separate entity of foreign state to winding up proceeding of the separate entity itself STATUTORY INTERPRETATION — Foreign States Immunities Act 1985 (Cth) (FSIA) — Literal meaning and legal meaning of statutory provisions — Context — Extrinsic materials as part of statutory context — relevance of Australian Law Reform Commission Report No. 24 Foreign State Immunity in construction of Foreign States Immunities Act 1985 (Cth) and ascertainment of statutory purpose – where second reading speech and explanatory memorandum state that the subsequent Act is based on Law Reform Commission Report Legislation Cited: Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth) s 21(1)(b) Admiralty Act 1988 (Cth) Civil Aviation (Carriers' Liability) Act 1959 (Cth) Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) Div 2, Pt 5B.2 Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act 1976 (United States) Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act 1981 (South Africa) Foreign States Immunities Act 1985 (Cth) ss 3(3), 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 22, 33 Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) International Arbitration Act 1974 (Cth) State Immunity Act 1978 (UK) s 6(3) State Immunity Act 1979 (Singapore) s 8(3) State Immunity Act 1982 (Canada) State Immunity Ordinance 1981 (Pakistan) s 7(3) Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) s 101(2)(e)) Foreign State Immunities Bill 1985 Additional Protocol to the European Convention on State Immunity, Basle, 16V (1972) Art 14 Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, opened for signature 10 December 1984, 1465 UNTS 85 (entered into force on 26 June 1987) Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and nationals of other States 575 UNTS (entered into force on 18 March 1965) UN Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and their Property: General Assembly Resolution, 59/38, Annex, (2 December 2004) Cases Cited: Australian International Islamic College Board Inc v Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [2014] 2 Qd R 1; [2013] QCA 129 Banco Nacional de Cuba v Cosmos Trading Corp [2001] 1 BCLC 813 British South Africa Co v Companhia de Mocambique [1893] AC 602 CIC Insurance Ltd v Bankstown Football Club Ltd (1997) 187 CLR 384; [1997] HCA 2 Commissioner for Railways (NSW) v Agalianos (1955) 92 CLR 390; [1955] HCA 27 Cooper Brookes (Wollongong) Pty Ltd v Federal Commissioner of Taxation (1981) 147 CLR 297; [1981] HCA 26 Firebird Global Master Fund II Ltd v Republic of Nauru (2014) 89 NSWLR 477; [2014] NSWCA 360 Firebird Global Master Fund II Ltd v Republic of Nauru (2015) 258 CLR 31; [2015] HCA 43 Kingdom of Spain v Infrastructure Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l (2023) 97 ALJR 276; [2023] HCA 11 Li v Zhou (2014) 87 NSWLR 20; [2014] NSWCA 176 Newcastle City Council v GIO General Ltd (1997) 191 CLR 85; [1997] HCA 53 Owners of the Ship "Shin Kobe Maru" v Empire Shipping Company Inc (1994) 181 CLR 404; [1994] HCA 54 Park Trent Properties Group Pty Ltd v Australian Securities and Investments Commission (2016) 116 ACSR 473; [2016] NSWCA 298 PMT Partners Pty Ltd (in liq) v Australian National Parks & Wildlife Service (1995) 184 CLR 301; [1995] HCA 36 Potter v Broken Hill Pty Company Ltd (1906) 3 CLR 479; [1906] HCA 88 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355; [1998] HCA 28 PT Bayan Resources TBK v BCBC Singapore Pte Ltd (2015) 258 CLR 1; [2015] HCA 36 PT Garuda Indonesia Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (2012) 247 CLR 240; [2012] HCA 33 PT Garuda Indonesia Ltd v Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (2011) 192 FCR 393; [2011] FCAFC 52 Rahimtoola v Nizam of Hyderabad [1958] AC 379 Re Rafidain Bank [1992] BCLC 301 Republic of Italy (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Adelaide Consulate) v Benvenuto (2018) 261 FCR 19; [2018] FCAFC 64 Saraswati v The Queen (1991) 172 CLR 1; [1991] HCA 21 Sydney Seaplanes Pty Ltd v Page (2021) 106 NSWLR 1; [2021] NSWCA 204 The Philippine Admiral (Owners) v Wallem Shipping (Hong Kong) Ltd [1977] AC 373 Trendtex Trading Corporation v Central Bank of Nigeria [1977] QB 529 Victorian Aircraft Leasing Ltd v United States of America (2005) 12 VR 340; [2005] VSCA 76 Walker v Vanuatu [2011] FCAFC 138 Zhang v Zemin (2010) 79 NSWLR 513; [2010] NSWCA 255 Texts Cited: Australian Law Reform Commission, Admiralty Jurisdiction (Report No 33, 2 December 1986) Australian Law Reform Commission, Foreign State Immunity (Report No 24, 10 October 1984) Australian Law Reform Commission, Insurance Contracts (Report No 20, 16 December 1982) Dicey, Morris & Collins on the Conflict of Laws (16th ed, 2022, Sweet & Maxwell) H Lauterpacht, 'The Problem of Jurisdictional Immunities of Foreign States' (1951) 28 British Yearbook of International Law 220 I Brownlie, Principles of Public International Law (3rd ed, 1979, Oxford (1985 reprint)) IA Shearer, Starke's International Law (11th ed, 1994, Butterworths) International Law Commission, Report on the work of its Thirty-second session, 5 May - 25 July 1980, Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-fifth session, Supplement No. 10 P Herzfeld and T Prince, Interpretation (2nd ed, 2020, Lawbook Co) R Garnett, "Should Foreign State Immunity be Abolished?" 20 Australian Year Book of International Law 175 (1999) Category: Principal judgment Parties: Greylag Goose Leasing 1410 Designated Activity Company (First Appellant) Greylag Goose Leasing 1446 Designated Activity Company (Second Appellant) P.T. Garuda Indonesia Ltd (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: