pair-of-red-leather-boxing-gloves-isolated-on-white-custom
No Comments

Fighting the Rearguard Action – s 459S and Winding Up Applications

By Jacob Reardon a Solicitor of Matthews Folbigg, in our Insolvency, Restructuring and Debt Recovery Group

In an application to wind up a company for failure to comply with a statutory demand, section 459S of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (“the Act”) operates to exclude grounds that a defendant either did rely on, or could have relied on, in an earlier application to set aside a statutory demand.

In the Explanatory Memorandum to the Corporate Law Reform Bill 1992, the stated policy goal of section 459S is to: [...]  READ MORE →

Meeting and greeting, Two engineer or architect meeting for project, handshake after consultation and conference new project plan, contract for both companies, success, partnership.
No Comments

GREATER SYDNEY’S 2021 LOCKDOWN: WILL BUSINESSES SINK OR SWIM?

By Anica Cunanan, Solicitor at Matthews Folbigg in the Insolvency, Restructuring and Debt Recovery Group

Greater Sydney is currently in a lockdown and has remained in the dark with respect to whether, and when businesses would receive some relief.

Last year, the Federal Government introduced the JobKeeper scheme to assist with keeping businesses afloat (including employees within those businesses) through of the payment of wage subsidies subject to certain criteria.

The Morrison and Berejiklian Governments have announced that NSW businesses will finally receive some relief as we enter the fourth week of lockdown in NSW. It is evident that regardless of whether lockdown is in fact extended past 30 July 2021, businesses have already experienced a substantial hit. Should lockdown continue to be extended, we may see plenty of businesses struggling to make it through this lockdown. [...]  READ MORE →

11
No Comments

To Extend, or Not to Extend: That is the Question

By Darrin Mitchell, Senior Associate at Matthews Folbigg in the Insolvency, Restructuring and Debt Recovery Group

Part 5.7B of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)(“the Act”) contains provisions that allow a liquidator to seek orders that void certain transactions undertaken by a company whilst it is insolvent, or that are not in the company’s interests. The kinds of transactions that will be investigated by a liquidator include:

  • Preferential payment – see section 588FA of the Act;
  • Uncommercial transactions – see section 588FB of the Act;
  • Insolvent transactions – see section 588FC of the Act;
  • Insolvent transactions – see section 588FD of the Act;
  • Unreasonable director-related transactions – see section 588FDA of the Act; and
  • Creditor-defeating dispositions – see section 588FDB of the Act.

The period of scrutiny of the company’s transactions prior to liquidation for each category of voidable transaction is set out in section 588FE of the Act. [...]  READ MORE →

Winding Up
No Comments

Model Behaviour: the Australian version of America’s Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Scheme – Trustees & Creditors

By Jodie Rodrigues, solicitor at Matthews Folbigg in the Insolvency, Restructuring and Debt Recovery Group

On 24 September 2020, the latest instalment in Australia’s insolvency reforms was announced. These reforms have been branded “the most significant reforms to Australia’s insolvency framework in 30 years”.

For information about the proposed insolvency regulations, read Part 1 of this blog here.

 The proposed scheme has been developed to provide relief to small business in light of the economic impact of the coronavirus by way of the additional debt taken on to survive. However, the impact of the proposed mechanisms is wide reaching, and particularly in circumstances where no draft legislation has been released, no consultation has been undertaken, and the plan is to have these amendments in place by 1 January 2021, the reforms may be hazardous for creditors and insolvency practitioners. Read on to find how the insolvency reform will affect you.
 [...]  READ MORE →

Winding Up
No Comments

Model Behaviour: the Australian version of America’s Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Scheme – Key Points

By Jodie Rodrigues, solicitor at Matthews Folbigg in the Insolvency, Restructuring and Debt Recovery Group

Part 1: The Key Points

On 24 September 2020, the latest instalment in Australia’s insolvency reforms was announced. These reforms have been branded “the most significant reforms to Australia’s insolvency framework in 30 years”.

And yet the plan, apparently, is to have these reforms in place in 3 months.

Under the Morrison government’s proposal, Australia would adopt a framework modeled on parts of Chapter 11 of America’s Bankruptcy Code. The proposed system would provide two alternative forms of insolvency administration for small businesses with liabilities of up to $1,000,000: [...]  READ MORE →