Corporations Act 2001

Subject to this section, a liquidator of a company may at any time, on the company’s behalf, by signed writing disclaim property of the company that consists of:

land burdened with onerous covenants; or

shares; or

property that is unsaleable or is not readily saleable; or

property that may give rise to a liability to pay money or some other onerous obligation; or

property where it is reasonable to expect that the costs, charges and expenses that would be incurred in realising the property would exceed the proceeds of realising the property; or

a contract;

except in the case of a contract—the liquidator has tried to sell the property, has taken possession of it or exercised an act of ownership in relation to it; or

in the case of a contract—the company or the liquidator has tried to assign, or has exercised rights in relation to, the contract or any property to which it relates.

This section does not apply to:

an agreement by the company to buy back its own shares; or

PPSA retention of title property that is taken to form part of the property of the company because of the definition of property in section 513AA.

The definition of property in section 513AA includes PPSA retention of title property of the company, if the security interest in the property has vested in the company in certain situations.

A liquidator cannot disclaim a contract (other than an unprofitable contract or a lease of land) except with the leave of the Court.

On an application for leave under subsection (1A), the Court may:

grant leave subject to such conditions; and

make such orders in connection with matters arising under, or relating to, the contract;

Where:

an application in writing has been made to the liquidator by a person interested in property requiring the liquidator to decide whether he or she will disclaim the property; and

the liquidator has, for the period of 28 days after the receipt of the application, or for such extended period as is allowed by the Court, declined or neglected to disclaim the property;

The Court may, on the application of a person who is, as against the company, entitled to the benefit or subject to the burden of a contract made with the company, make an order:

discharging the contract on such terms as to payment by or to either party of damages for the non‑performance of the contract, or otherwise, as the Court thinks proper; or

rescinding the contract on such terms as to restitution by or to either party, or otherwise, as the Court thinks proper.

Amounts payable pursuant to an order under subsection (9) may be proved as a debt in the winding up.

For the purpose of determining whether property of a company is of a kind to which subsection (1) applies, the liquidator may, by notice served on a person claiming to have an interest in the property, require the person to give to the liquidator within such period, not being less than 14 days, as is specified in the notice, a statement of the interest claimed by the person and the person must comply with the requirement.