INTRODUCTION
1 The first plaintiffs ("the administrators") are the administrators of Arrium Limited (administrators appointed) ("Arrium") and 93 other companies in the Arrium Group (collectively the "Arrium Administration Group"). The administrators have applied for the following orders pursuant to ss 439A(6), 447A and 449E of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ("the Act"):
Transition Agreement
1 An order pursuant to section 447A(1) of the Act that Part 5.3A of the Act is to operate in relation to each of the Second Plaintiffs (the Arrium Administration Group Companies) as if:
(a) the debts and liabilities within the meaning of Division 9 of Part 5.3A of the Act incurred by Paul Billingham, Said Jahani, Michael McCann and Matthew Brynes of Grant Thornton (the First Administrators) in their capacities as joint and several administrators of the Arrium Administration Group Companies during the period of their administration of the Arrium Administration Group Companies; and
(b) the remuneration of the First Administrators determined in accordance with section 449E of the Act; and
(c) any costs and expenses incurred by the First Administrators in relation to or in connection with seeking Court approval of their remuneration in accordance with section 449E of the Act;
are debts and liabilities of the First Plaintiffs (the Administrators) incurred by the Administrators as voluntary administrators of the Arrium Administration Group Companies within the meaning of section 443A of the Act.
Extension of convening periods
2 An order pursuant to section 439A(6) of the Act that the convening period defined in section 439A(5)(b) of the Act in respect of each of the Arrium Administration Group Companies be extended.
3 An order pursuant to s 447A(1) of the Act, that Part 5.3A of the Act is to operate in relation to each of the Arrium Administration Group Companies such that the meetings of the creditors of each of the Arrium Administration Group Companies required by section 439A of the Act may be held at any time during the period up to, or within five business days after, the end of the convening period as extended by paragraph 2 above, notwithstanding the provisions of s 439A(2) of the Act.
Notification of the second meetings of creditors
4 An order pursuant to section 447A(1) of the Act, that Part 5.3A of the Act is to operate in relation to each of the Arrium Administration Group Companies such that notice of the second meetings of creditors of the Arrium Administration Group Companies (the Second Meetings) required to be given pursuant to section 439A(3) of the Act (the Notice) will be validly given to creditors of the Arrium Administration Group Companies by:
(a) sending the Notice by email (Email) to the email address of each creditor at such email address as is recorded in the books and records of the Arrium Administration Group Companies;
(b) where an email address is not recorded in the books and records of the Arrium Administration Group Companies, sending by post the Notice (Letter) to the postal address of each creditor at such postal address as is recorded in the books and records of Arrium Administration Group Companies;
(c) causing the Notice to be published in The Australian newspaper at least five days before the date of the Second Meetings;
(d) publishing the Notice on the websites maintained by:
(i) the Administrators at www.kordamentha.com; and
(ii) the Administrators' lawyers at www.abl.com.au;
(collectively, the Websites) at least 5 business days before the Second Meetings;
(e) providing in the Email, Letter and the notices to be published in The Australian newspaper and on the Websites:
(i) notice of the date, time and location of the Second Meetings;
(ii) notice that the report required to be given to creditors of the Arrium Administration Group Companies pursuant to section 439A(4) of the Act (the 439A Reports) is available for download on the Websites; and
(iii) details of a telephone hotline number by which any creditor may contact the Administrators to request a paper or electronic copy of the 439A Reports.
Report to creditors
5 An order pursuant to section 447A(1) of the Act, that Part 5.3A of the Act is to operate in relation to the Arrium Administration Group Companies as though section 439A(4) of the Act provided that the 439A Reports to accompany the Notice may be validly given to creditors of the Arrium Administration Group Companies by:
(a) making the 439A Reports available for download by creditors of the Arrium Administration Group Companies from the Websites in accordance with paragraph 4(e)(ii) above; and
(b) providing the 439A Reports to creditors upon request in accordance with paragraph 4(e)(iii) above.
6 An order pursuant to section 447A(1) of the Act, and subject to further order, that Part 5.3A of the Act is to operate in relation to the Arrium Administration Group Companies such that all future notices, reports and communications that the Administrators must or may give or send to creditors of the Arrium Administration Group Companies may be given and/or sent in accordance with the procedures described in paragraphs 4 and 5 above.
7 An order that a notice sent to a creditor pursuant to paragraphs 4 and 5 of this Originating Process is taken to be given on the business day after it is sent.
Determination of Remuneration
8 An order pursuant to section 447A of the Act, that Part 5.3A of the Act is to operate in relation to each of the Arrium Administration Group Companies:
(a) as if section 449E(1) of the Act was modified to read, in respect of each of the Arrium Administration Group Companies, as follows:
"(1) [Where company under administration] The First Administrators and the Second Administrators of the Arrium Administration Group Companies are entitled to receive such remuneration as is determined:
(aa) by agreement between the Second Administrators of the Arrium Administration Group Companies and the Arrium Committee of Creditors in relation to any and / or each of the Arrium Administration Group Companies; or
(a) by agreement between the administrator and the committee of creditors (if any); or
(b) by resolution of the company's creditors; or
(c) if there is no such agreement or resolution - by the Court."
(b) as if the following definitions are inserted in section 449E(1) of the Act, in respect of each of the Arrium Administration Group Companies:
"Arrium Administration Group Companies means each of the Second Plaintiffs to Federal Court of Australia Proceeding No. VID [insert] of 2016; and
Arrium Committee of Creditors means the committee of creditors appointed to Arrium Limited (Administrators Appointed) by resolution of creditors passed on 19 April 2016.
First Administrators means Paul Billingham, Said Jahani, Michael McCann and Matthew Byrnes of Grant Thornton.
Second Administrators means Mark Francis Xavier Mentha, Bryan Webster, Martin Madden and Cassandra Elysium Mathews of KordaMentha."
Other
9 An order that the Plaintiffs and any creditor of the Arrium Administration Group Companies affected by any order made pursuant to this Originating Process shall have liberty to apply upon two business days' written notice to the parties.
10 An order pursuant to rules 1.34 of the Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) (Rules) and 1.3 of the Federal Court (Corporations) Rules 2000 (Cth) (Corporations Rules) that compliance with the requirements of rule 2.4(2) of the Corporations Rules be dispensed with and in lieu thereof the Plaintiffs upload each of the records of a search of the records maintained by ASIC in relation to each of the Arrium Administration Group Companies on the website maintained by the Administrators' solicitors at http://www.abl.com.au/Arrium/CompanyInformation.htm.
2 The application is supported by an affidavit of Bryan Webster ("Mr Webster"), one of the administrators, and an affidavit of Justin Vaatstra ("Mr Vaatstra"), a partner in the firm of lawyers acting for the plaintiffs, and has been made on short notice to various interested stakeholders, including ASIC. The persons and entities given notice are set out in Schedule Two to these reasons for decision. There has been no objection to the orders sought, save that following discussions with ASIC and others about the length of the extension of the convening periods for the calling of the second creditors' meetings, the administrators have agreed to seek an extension of approximately nine months, in lieu of the proposed twelve months.
3 After hearing submissions from Mr Zwier for the plaintiffs, I was satisfied that I should make orders 2 and 3 extending the convening period for the second meeting of creditors from 6 May 2016 to 28 February 2017 and I should also make order 10 dispensing with the requirements of r 2.4(2) of the Corporations Rules in relation to the filing of the ASIC company searches of each of the second plaintiffs on the making of an application. I stated that I would provide my reasons for making those orders together with my reasons for decision in respect of the other orders sought.
4 For the reasons that follow I am satisfied that the orders sought should be made.