How to avoid contaminating an insolvency appointment: when a disclaimer of land may be set aside

In March 2019, Liquidators were appointed to The Australian Sawmilling Company Pty Ltd (TASCO) by way of a creditors’ voluntary winding up. TASCO owned a large lot of contaminated land – there were stockpiles of construction and demolition waste resulting from a former licensee conducting a materials recycling business. Close to a year before this, […]

Readmore

Unconscionable conduct in asset based lending: Stubbings v Jams 2 Pty Ltd [2022] HCA 6

Recently, the High Court of Australia found unconscionable conduct on the part of a lender on an asset based loan and held that the lender could not rely on the certificates of independent legal and financial advice procured from the borrower to immunise the transaction against unconscionable conduct laws. The loan was made to a […]

Readmore

Notesco Pty Ltd v Australian Financial Complaints Authority Ltd [2022] NSWC 285

In Notesco Pty Ltd v Australian Financial Complaints Authority Ltd [2022] NSWC 285, the Supreme Court of NSW considered the validity of a Determination made by AFCA requiring Notesco Pty Ltd (Notesco) to pay compensation to an elderly resident of France who lost his life savings trading in CFDs (via a third party broker) on […]

Readmore

Setting off on the wrong foot: creditors are now unable to rely on statutory set-off to defend an unfair preference claim by a liquidator

In a special question reserved for consideration, the Full Federal Court considered whether statutory set-off under s 553C(1) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the Act) was available to defend against a liquidator’s claim to recover an unfair preference under s 588FA of the Act. The unanimous and somewhat emphatic answer to this question delivered […]

Readmore

Liquidator granted approval to enter into funding agreements and confidentiality orders from the Federal Court

Thorn (liquidator), in the matter of South Townsville Developments Pty Ltd (in liq)[1] (Company) involved an ex parte application by a liquidator seeking approval under section 477(2B) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) to enter into agreements to fund existing litigation and a request for the suppression and non-publication of certain details in […]

Readmore

NSW Supreme Court provides guidance on the procedural requirements for disputes determined by AFCA

The case of Australian Capital Financial Management Pty Limited v Australian Financial Complaints Authority Limited (2021) NSWFC 1577 concerned an application made by Australian Capital Financial Management Pty Ltd seeking to have the Court set aside a previous determination made by AFCA. Background In 2014, Mr Bai, Ms Yang and Mr Lee established Australian Sheepskin […]

Readmore

Equitable Assignment: The question is how the parties viewed the transaction not how the transaction was recorded

Business Finance Pty Ltd (receiver and manager appointed) v Partner Invest Pty Ltd (in liquidation) [2022] NSWSC 1 was a dispute between the external administrators of the plaintiff and defendant companies. Marcus Ayres was the appointed receiver and manager of Business Finance Pty Ltd (Business Finance) and Andrew Sallway was the liquidator of Partner Invest […]

Readmore

Corruption and Integrity Update – OIA functions and CCC powers subject to scrutiny

The past month has seen the spotlight turned on both the Office of the Independent Assessor (OIA), by way of Parliamentary Inquiry, and the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC), by way of a Supreme Court challenge to its coercive powers. Inquiry into the functions of the Independent Assessor and the performance of those functions On […]

Readmore

Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Act 2021

Executive Summary The recently released Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Act 2021 (Cth) (SOCI Act) has amended the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 (Cth) with a view to further managing the complex and evolving national security risks of sabotage, espionage and coercion posed by foreign involvement in Australia’s critical infrastructure. The amended SOCI legislation […]

Readmore

COVID-19 | Victorian Commercial Tenancy Relief 3.0 – Victoria introduces extended rent relief for small business

In response to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, the Victorian Government has now released the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme Regulations 2022 (Vic) (2022 Regulations) which extends the entitlement to rent relief and related protections for certain small businesses. What has changed? Our previous publication on the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme Regulations 2021 (2021 Regulations) can be found […]

Readmore

An administrator’s right to remuneration out of trust property

In Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Marco (no 9) [2021] FCA 1306 the Administrators brought an interlocutory application seeking remuneration orders pursuant to section 60-10(1)(c) of the Insolvency Practice Schedule (IPSC) for the administration of the second defendant. The application was opposed by the Liquidators of the second defendant. Justice McKerracher ultimately held that […]

Readmore

‘Sequencing problem’ – the Court makes orders varying the operation of the Corporations Act to allow a voluntary administrator to transfer shares without owner consent

In the Supreme Court of New South Wales case of In the matter of Habibi Waverton (in liquidation) (administrator appointed),[1] the Court considered whether or not to permit a voluntary administrator to transfer shares in order to implement a Deed of Company Arrangement (DOCA) pursuant to section 444GA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the Act). […]

Readmore