Frank stuart dethridge memorial address the far from halcyon isle

Conclusion

74. 
    This address has asked more questions than it answered. That is because the settlement of the proceedings which stimulated it, has left me like a dog deprived of a bone. But, I hope that this is a little like the position that confronted FE Smith, the first Lord Birkenhead, when a judge said to him, “I have listened to you for an hour and am none the wiser.” Smith retorted, “Possibly not, my Lord, but far better informed.”`
    
75. 
    Nonetheless, the subject matter I have explored is of significance to not only those with an interest in maritime law but more generally to all persons who are engaged in international trade or commerce with Australia. The High Court’s substantial recent initiatives in developing the rules of Australian private international law have opened up large unexplored fields for the application of, first, its new articulation of the difference between substance and procedure in Pfeiffer¹⁷¹ and, secondly, the doctrine of renvoi beyond the law of tort.
    
76. 
    Moreover, one day a court here will have to make the intellectually challenging choice as to whether Australian law will accord recognition to a foreign maritime lien that is outside the nature of those liens referred to in s 15(2) of the Admiralty Act. That is an area between the majority and minority opinions in The Halcyon Isle¹⁷² that the Australian Law Reform Commission deliberately left open. And this issue will no doubt arise again when a cross-border insolvency is recognised here under the Cross-Border Insolvency Act 2008 (Cth) and it affects the arrest of a ship on a maritime lien.
    
77. 
    The adjective “halcyon” means “calm, quiet, peaceful, undisturbed”. The halcyon was a mythical kingfisher that bred around the time of the winter solstice in a nest that floated on the sea. During its breeding season, the bird so charmed the wind and waves that the sea was especially calm. Oh that the Halcyon Isle had lived up to its name.
    

1* A judge of the Federal Court of Australia and an additional judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory. The author acknowledges the assistance of his associate, Venetia Brown, and the helpful comments of Prof Nicholas Gaskell of the University of Queensland in the preparation of this paper. The errors are the author’s alone.
A paper presented at the 40^th Annual MLAANZ Conference at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney on 19 September 2013.

1. 
   Bankers Trust International Ltd v Todd Shipyards Corporation [1981] AC 221
   

2 Todd Shipyards Corporation v The Ship “Ioannis Daskalelis” [1974] SCR 1248; [1974] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 174

3 [1981] AC at 229G-H, 242G

4 i.e. security against the keel for the price of goods and services supplied to a ship by necessaries men outside its home port

5 [1981] AC 232G-233B

6 [1981] AC at 250C-D

7 Harmer v Bell (1851) 7 Moo PC 267 at 284-285; 13 ER 884 at 890-891

8 1 Sumner 78

9 [1946] P 135 at 144-145

10 [1946] P at 145

11 (1872) LR 4 PC 161 at 169

12 The Tolten [1946] P at 145-146

13 (2006) 157 FCR 45 at [128]

14 see too Ship “Hako Endeavour” v Programmed Total Marine Services Pty Ltd (2013) 211 FCR 369 at 395 [92]-[93] per Rares J, Siopis J agreeing at 372 [1]

15 [1938] AC 173 at 186

16 [1946] P at 148

17 (2003) 218 CLR 330 at 337-338 [13]

18 [1972] AC 242 at 290G-291B

19 [1972] AC at 297A-B

20 Elbe Shipping SA v The Ship Global Peace (2006) 154 FCR 439 at 451 [51]

21 Blunden 218 CLR at 337 [12]

22 [1981] AC 221

23 [1981] AC at 230A-B

24 [1981] AC at 230D-G

25 [1981] AC at 230F-H

26 [1981] AC at 234F-H

27 [1981] AC at 235C-D

28 [1974] SCR 1248; 1 Lloyd’s Rep 174

29 [1926] SCR 680; 4 DLR 801

30 [1923] P 102; [1981] AC at 238B-C

31 [1981] AC at 238B

32 [1923] P 102

33 [1923] P 102

34 at [1981] AC at 248H

35 [1946] P 135

36 [1981] AC at 238G-H

37 [1981] AC 246B-D and see also at 242H-243A

38 [1897] P 226 at 242

39 [1981] AC at 242H-243B

40 [1981] AC at 243A-B

41 [1981] AC at 244D-H

42 [1981] AC at 246F-G

43 [1923] P 102

44 [1974] SCR at 1256

45 [1926] SCR at 688

46 Anglin CJC, Duff, Mignault and Rinfret JJ; Idington J dissenting

47 4^th ed, s 327 at p 550

48 ALRC 33 at p 64 [94]

49 [1981] AC 221

50 particularly [1981] AC at 238, 244

51 [1981] AC 221

52 ALRC 33 at p 91 [123]: Canada: The Strandhill v W Hodder Inc [1926] SCR 680; Todd Shipyards Corp v Altema Compania Maritime SA: The Ioannis Daskalelis [1974] SCR 1248. “The decision of the Privy Council in The Halcyon Isle has not altered the attitude of Canadian Courts: see eg Marlex Petroleum Inc v The Ship Har Rai [1984] 4 DLR (4th) 739, 744 (FC)”; South Africa: Southern Steamship Agency Inc v MV “Khalij Sky” 1986 (1) SAf LR 485

53 1989 (4) SA 325

54 Andrico Unity 1989 (4) SA at 330D, 332B-D

55 ALRC 33 at p 91 [123]

56 ALRC 33 at p 92 [123]

57 [1981] AC 221

58 157 FCR at 78 [114]-[115]

59 see DR Thomas, Maritime Liens (1980) Stevens & Sons Ltd: London, at [371]-[374]

60 at [575]-[579]

61 [1946] P at 145

62 [1978] 1 MLJ 189

63 or at least that of Bankes LJ

64 [1923] P 102 at 106ff; Thomas, Maritime Liens at [579], [585]

65 (2005: 4^th ed) informa: London, at [17.57]-[17.58]

66 [1981] AC 221

67 Jackson op cit at [26.17]

68 [1981] AC 221

69 Jackson op cit at [26.41

70 Jackson op cit at [26.43], [26.178]

71 (2008:14^th ed) Oxford University Press at 92-94

72 [1923] P 102

73 (2007) Oxford University Press at [4.50]-[4.51]

74 [1981] AC 221

75 Eds. Prof CGJ Morse, D McClean & Lord Collins of Mapesbury (2012: 15^th ed) Sweet & Maxwell; Thomson Reuters at [7-018], [70041]

[1981] AC at 235C-D

76 at [7-041]

77 See his essay, “Maritime Liens in Conflict of Laws”, published in JAR Nafziger & Symeon C Symeonides eds, Law and Justice in a Multi-State World: Essays in Honour of Arthur T von Mehren (2002) Transnational Publishers Inc: Ardsley NY, 439 at 448

78 See the highly debatable case comment supporting the majority decision, by M.M. Cohen, “In defense of the Halcyon Isle” [1987] LMCLQ 152 at pp. 154-155. See also in reply Tetley, “In Defence of the Ioannis Daskalelis” [1989] LMCLQ 11

79 For a comprehensive critique of the majority decision in The Halcyon Isle, see generally Tetley, International Conflict of Laws, Common, Civil and Maritime (1994) International Shipping Publications, at pp 570-573

80 (2010: 8^th ed) LexisNexis, Australia at [16.43]

81 [1997] FCA 432; 1998 AMC 1727 at 1733

82 [1981] AC 221

83 (2000) 203 CLR 503: see too Davies and Lewins, “Foreign Maritime Liens: Should they be recognised in Australian Courts?” (2002) 76 ALJ 775

84 [1981] AC 221

85 [1987] LMCLQ 152

86 [1987] LMCLQ at 154

87 [1981] AC 221

88 1986 (1) SA 485 at 490-493

89 [1923] P 102; 1986 (1) SA at 493E-H; a view shared in an obiter dictum by Nienaber J in Oriental Commercial and Shipping Co Ltd v MV Fidias 1986 (1) SA 714 at 719C-D

90 [1981] AC 221

91 1989 (4) SA 325

92 1989 (4) SA at 340C-E

93 [1981] AC 221

94 1989 (4) SA at 347D-E

95 1989 (4) SA at 344E-F, 346H-J, 348E-349F

96 cf: 1989 (4) SA 5 at 347A-J

97 (1870) LR 6 QB 1

98 (2002) 210 CLR 491

99 210 CLR at 515-517 [61]-[67] per Gleeson CJ, Gaudron, McHugh, Gummow and Hayne JJ

100 [1981] AC 221

101 [1999] 3 NZLR 111 at 115 (Fisher J)

102 [1992] 1 NZLR 655 (Cooke P, McKay and McGechnan JJ)

103 [1993] 3 NZLR 576 (Holland J)

104 [1997] FCA 432, 1998 AMC 1727

105 [1981] AC 221

106 (1984) 4 DLR (4^th) 739

107 see [1997] FCA 432 at p 37, 1998 AMC at 1732. Sheppard J also noted that the decision in The “Betty Ott” [1992] 1 NZLR 655 was not entirely in accord with the majority.

108 210 CLR at 522 [86]

109 Prosser, “Interstate Publication” (1953) 51 Michigan Law Review 959 at p 971

110 Cheshire, Private International Law (1953) p vii in North, “Private International Law: Change or Decay?” (2001) 50 International and Comparative Law Quarterly 477

111 Cardozo, The Paradoxes of Legal Science (1928) p 67

112 [1981] AC at 230E-F

113 [1981] AC 221

114 [1997] FCA 432; 1998 AMC 1727

115 203 CLR at 543-544 [99]-[100]

116 (1991) 174 CLR 1 at 26-27

117 Stevens v Head (1993) 176 CLR 433 at 445 per Mason CJ

118 Pfeiffer 203 CLR at 543 [99]

119 (2005) 223 CLR 331 per Gleeson CJ, Gummow, Kirby, Hayne, Callinan and Heydon JJ, with McHugh J dissenting

120 210 CLR 491

121 223 CLR 331

122 223 CLR at 366 [98]-[99]

123 Pfeiffer (2000) 203 CLR 503 at 542-543 [97] per Gleeson CJ, Gaudron, McHugh, Gummow and Hayne JJ

124 Khan-Freund p 290

125 223 CLR at 342 [13], 344 [17] per Gleeson CJ; 374 [134] per Gummow and Hayne JJ; 412-413 [250]-[256] per Callinan J; 416-417 [267]-[268], 418-419 [271], 420 [277] per Heydon J; and see too Kirby J, in dissent but agreeing on this point at 388 [175]

126 223 CLR at 342 [13]

127 223 CLR at 362-367 [84]-[100]

128 223 CLR at 363 [87]

129 223 CLR at 363 [89]

130 223 CLR at 364 [92], [94]

131 223 CLR at 365 [96]

132 Vita Food Products Inc v Unus Shipping Co [1939] AC 277 at 290-292; cp Neilson 223 CLR at 357 [65]

133 Toll (FGCT) Pty Ltd v Alphapharm Pty Ltd (2004) 219 CLR 165 at 174-176 [33]-[40]

134 [1937] AC 500 at 529-531: see too at 567 per Lord Maugham, 573 per Lord Roche and 575 per Lord Macmillan agreeing; Akai 188 CLR at 441; Vita Food [1939] AC at 290

135 Neilson 223 CLR at 365 [96], 366 [99], per Gummow and Hayne JJ

136 (1950) 81 CLR 486 [1951] AC 201 at 219

137 (2010: 8^th ed) LexisNexis Australia

138 (2012) Oxford University Press at 53-57 [3.09]-[3.14]

139 223 CLR 331

140 223 CLR at 363 [87]

141 [1939] AC at 292

142 particularly at [1939] AC at 290-292

143 [1939] AC at 290

144 [1937] AC 500 at 529

145 (1971) 124 CLR 245 at 252 and 260

146 [1939] AC at 290

147 [1984] AC 50 at 61D-62C

148 as it also is in its Australian analogue

149 [1984] AC at 61H-62A

150 [1984] AC at 69G-70A

151 In re United Railways of the Havana and Regla Warehouses Ltd [1960] Ch 52 at 96-97 per Jenkins and Romer LJJ and at 115 per Willmer LJ

152 7^th ed at 72, 73, 721 and 722

153 “The Proper Law of a Contract in the Conflict of Laws” (1940) 56 LQR 320 at 333-335

154 [1939] AC 277 at 292

155 (2012: 15^th ed) Sweet & Maxwell, London at xxiv

156 [1939] AC at 291

157 56 LQR at 333

158 56 LQR at 335

159 15^th ed at 1793 [32-029]

160 223 CLR at 368 [109]

161 [1984] AC at 61D-62C

th [2005] EWHC 1323 Ch at [108]-[110]

162 [1995] 1 WLR 978 at 1008D and G

163 [1995] 1 WLR at 1008D

164 J Fawcett and J Curruthers (2008: 14^th ed) Oxford University Press at 71

165 (1998) 47 International and Comparative Law Quarterly 877 at 881

166 see 47 ICLQ at 880-881: see too the Contracts (Applicable Law) Act 1990 (UK), referred to in Cheshire, North and Fawcett (2008) op cit at 71

167 [2006] WASCA 25

168 223 CLR 331

169 at [60], Malcolm CJ agreeing at [1]; and McLure JA at [18]

170 Pfeiffer 203 CLR at 543-544 [99]-[100]; Neilson 223 CLR 331

171 203 CLR at 543-544 [99]-[100]

172 [1981] AC 221