The Bankruptcy Act Provisions
42What I must determine today is the question of the competence of the proceedings. The plaintiffs' argument in this respect is based upon the operation of Bankruptcy Act, s 58.
43In short, the defendants say that by reason of the application of s 58(3) these proceedings are, without more and without the need for an application to the Federal Court of Australia, not competent. The defendants contend that the first plaintiff, Mr Baker, as a creditor, is seeking either to enforce a remedy against Mr Paul or against his property in respect of a provable debt within Bankruptcy Act, s 58(3)(a), or is seeking to take a fresh step in proceedings in respect of a provable debt. The defendants point out that he has not obtained the leave of the Federal Court before doing so.
44The plaintiffs say in response that the proceedings are maintainable. To deal with these arguments it is necessary to analyse the structure of the relevant parts of the Bankruptcy Act, the defendants' several contentions, the plaintiffs' responses and the pleaded case in the principal proceedings.
45Section 58 of the Bankruptcy Act, provides as follows:
"58. Vesting of property upon bankruptcy-general rule
(1) Subject to this Act, where a debtor becomes a bankrupt:
(a) the property of the bankrupt, not being after-acquired property, vests forthwith in the Official Trustee or, if, at the time when the debtor becomes a bankrupt, a registered trustee becomes the trustee of the estate of the bankrupt by virtue of section 156A, in that registered trustee; and
(b) after-acquired property of the bankrupt vests, as soon as it is acquired by, or devolves on, the bankrupt, in the Official Trustee or, if a registered trustee is the trustee of the estate of the bankrupt, in that registered trustee.
Note 1: This subsection has a limited application if there are orders in force under the proceeds of crime law: see section 58A.
Note 2: Even if property has vested under this section, it may, under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002:
(a) become subject to a restraining order; and
(b) be taken into account in making a pecuniary penalty order; and
(c) become subject to a charge to secure the payment of an amount under a pecuniary penalty order, if it is subject to a restraining order; and
(d) be dealt with by the Official Trustee, if it is subject to a restraining order and a court has directed the Official Trustee to pay the Commonwealth an amount under a pecuniary penalty order out of property subject to the restraining order.
(2) Where a law of the Commonwealth or of a State or Territory of the Commonwealth requires the transmission of property to be registered and enables the trustee of the estate of a bankrupt to be registered as the owner of any such property that is part of the property of the bankrupt, that property, notwithstanding that it vests in equity in the trustee by virtue of this section, does not so vest at law until the requirements of that law have been complied with.
(3) Except as provided by this Act, after a debtor has become a bankrupt, it is not competent for a creditor:
(a) to enforce any remedy against the person or the property of the bankrupt in respect of a provable debt; or
(b) except with the leave of the Court and on such terms as the Court thinks fit, to commence any legal proceeding in respect of a provable debt or take any fresh step in such a proceeding.
(4) After a debtor has become a bankrupt, distress for rent shall not be levied or proceeded with against the property of the bankrupt, whether or not the bankrupt is a tenant of the landlord by whom the distress is sought to be levied.
(5) Nothing in this section affects the right of a secured creditor to realize or otherwise deal with his or her security."
46A provable debt is defined under Bankruptcy Act, s 5 as meaning "a debt or liability that is, under this Act, provable in bankruptcy". The debts that are provable in bankruptcy are provided for by Bankruptcy Act s82 which, relevantly provides as follows:
"82. Debts provable in bankruptcy [see Table B]
(1) Subject to this Division, all debts and liabilities, present or future, certain or contingent, to which a bankrupt was subject at the date of the bankruptcy, or to which he or she may become subject before his or her discharge by reason of an obligation incurred before the date of the bankruptcy, are provable in his or her bankruptcy.
(1A) Without limiting subsection (1), debts referred to in that subsection include a debt consisting of all or part of a sum that became payable by the bankrupt under a maintenance agreement or maintenance order before the date of the bankruptcy.
(2) Demands in the nature of unliquidated damages arising otherwise than by reason of a contract, promise or breach of trust are not provable in bankruptcy.
(3) Penalties or fines imposed by a court in respect of an offence against a law, whether a law of the Commonwealth or not, are not provable in bankruptcy.
(3AA) An amount payable under an order made under section 1317G of the Corporations Act 2001 is not provable in bankruptcy.
(3AB) A debt incurred under Part 4-1 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 is not provable in bankruptcy.
(3A) An amount payable under an order made under a proceeds of crime law is not provable in bankruptcy.
(3B) A debt is not provable in a bankruptcy in so far as the debt consists of interest accruing, in respect of a period commencing on or after the date of the bankruptcy, on a debt that is provable in the bankruptcy.
(4) The trustee shall make an estimate of the value of a debt or liability provable in the bankruptcy which, by reason of its being subject to a contingency, or for any other reason, does not bear a certain value.
(5) A person aggrieved by an estimate so made may appeal to the Court not later than 28 days after the day on which the person is notified of the estimate.
(6) If the Court finds that the value of the debt or liability cannot be fairly estimated, the debt or liability shall be deemed not to be provable in the bankruptcy.
(7) If the Court finds that the value of the debt or liability can be fairly estimated, the Court shall assess the value in such manner as it thinks proper.
(8) In this section, liability includes:
(a) compensation for work or labour done;
(b) an obligation or possible obligation to pay money or money's worth on the breach of an express or implied covenant, contract, agreement or undertaking, whether or not the breach occurs, is likely to occur or is capable of occurring, before the discharge of the bankrupt; and
(c) an express or implied engagement, agreement or undertaking, to pay, or capable of resulting in the payment of, money or money's worth, whether the payment is:
(i) in respect of amount-fixed or unliquidated;
(ii) in respect of time-present or future, or certain or dependent on a contingency; or
(iii) in respect of the manner of valuation-capable of being ascertained by fixed rules or only as matter of opinion."
47It is well-established in authority that claims of breach of fiduciary duty are claims at least analogous to claims in contract and are provable in bankruptcy: See Emma Silver Mining Co v Grant (1880) 17 Ch D 122 per Jessel MR at 130 and Barewa Oil and Mining NL (in liquidation) v ISIM Mineral Development Pty Limited (1981) 38 ALR 288. Claims in damages for tort are not provable in bankruptcy.
48Reference in argument has been made to the provisions of Bankruptcy Act, s 60 which provides:-
"60. Stay of legal proceedings
(1) The Court may, at any time after the presentation of a petition, upon such terms and conditions as it thinks fit:
(a) discharge an order made, whether before or after the commencement of this subsection, against the person or property of the debtor under any law relating to the imprisonment of fraudulent debtors and, in a case where the debtor is imprisoned or otherwise held in custody under such a law, discharge the debtor out of custody; or
(b) stay any legal process, whether civil or criminal and whether instituted before or after the commencement of this subsection, against the person or property of the debtor:
(i) in respect of the non-payment of a provable debt or of a pecuniary penalty payable in consequence of the non-payment of a provable debt; or
(ii) in consequence of his or her refusal or failure to comply with an order of a court, whether made in civil or criminal proceedings, for the payment of a provable debt;
and, in a case where the debtor is imprisoned or otherwise held in custody in consequence of the non-payment of a provable debt or of a pecuniary penalty referred to in subparagraph (i) or in consequence of his or her refusal or failure to comply with an order referred to in subparagraph (ii), discharge the debtor out of custody.
(2) An action commenced by a person who subsequently becomes a bankrupt is, upon his or her becoming a bankrupt, stayed until the trustee makes election, in writing, to prosecute or discontinue the action.
(3) If the trustee does not make such an election within 28 days after notice of the action is served upon him or her by a defendant or other party to the action, he or she shall be deemed to have abandoned the action.
(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, a bankrupt may continue, in his or her own name, an action commenced by him or her before he or she became a bankrupt in respect of:
(a) any personal injury or wrong done to the bankrupt, his or her spouse or de facto partner or a member of his or her family; or
(b) the death of his or her spouse or de facto partner or of a member of his or her family.
Note: See also subsection 5(6).
(4A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)(b), this section does not empower the Court to stay any proceedings under a proceeds of crime law.
(5) In this section, action means any civil proceeding, whether at law or in equity."
49Before looking to the defendants' argument it is useful to analyse the different ways that s 58(3) and s 60(1) operate. The reference in both these provisions to "the Court" is a reference to the Federal Court of Australia or to the Federal Magistrates Court: Bankruptcy Act, s 5. By virtue of s 27(1) exclusive jurisdiction in bankruptcy is given to the Federal Court and the Federal Magistrates Court: Green v Schneller [2001] NSWSC 897.
50Bankruptcy Act, s 58(3) and Bankruptcy Act, s 60(1) operate in different ways. Section 58(3) operates automatically unless it is established that, in respect of s 58(3)(b), the leave of the Bankruptcy Court has been obtained. Section 60(1) only operates through the order of the Bankruptcy Court and requires an application to the Bankruptcy Court before such an order is made. The defendants' argument here is based only on s 58. This Court has no jurisdiction to deal with an application under s 60. Indeed, it may still be open to the defendants to pursue some relevant s 60 relief in respect of this case independently of the current argument.
51The plaintiffs have not sought the leave of the Bankruptcy Court to allow the taking of any fresh step in these proceedings since Mr Paul was made bankrupt in October last year, if such leave were required under Bankruptcy Act, s 58(3). Thus the question here is whether s 58(3) effects a direct statutory declaration of the incompetence of these proceedings. It is not contended by either side that the words "except as provided by this Act" create any relevant room for manoeuvre to the plaintiffs to bring these proceedings outside s 58(3).