The Hastie Group Ltd. (liquidators appointed), and its related entities, fell into external administration on 28 May 2012. 

“Controlling the controllables” should be the main focus of contractors.

When I am struggling to focus on tasks, my “go-to aid’’ is to sit and write down things I can control. Invariably, as a result of this process, I end up identifying things that I cannot control. It is always occupying my thinking.

I then proceed to unload these very unhelpful intruders from my thinking and wham, away I go. This time focused on important things I have control of.

The economic landscape continues to remain challenging, or, in some cases, looks to be getting worse, thereby impacting trading conditions across borders. It is likely that in most jurisdictions, trading conditions will worsen before they stabilise and, ultimately, improve.

Chief Justice Hammerschlag, sitting in the New South Wales Supreme Court (the Court), has delivered a judgement of importance to secured creditor and insolvency practitioners alike in Volkswagen Financial Services Australia Pty Ltd v Atlas CTL Pty Ltd (Recs and Mngrs Apptd) (In liq) [2022] NSWSC 573 (Atlas).

In a recent decision handed down in Gold Valley Iron Pty Ltd (in liq) v OPS Screening & Crushing Equipment Pty Ltd [2022] WASCA 134, Liquidators succeeded in establishing an ‘equipment lease with an option to purchase’ clause as being a security interest under the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 which needed to be registered by the owner.

Key takeaways

The Court’s decision in Barokes Pty Ltd (in liq) [2022] VSC 642 is important because, for the first time in Australia, a Court has granted a creditor leave to bring a derivative action in the name of a company in liquidation against its liquidators. This case opens another significant gateway for creditors to seek redress for their losses.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services (the Committee) has commenced an inquiry into the “effectiveness of Australia’s corporate insolvency laws in protecting and maximising value for the benefit of all interested parties and the economy”.^[1]

Major restructuring destinations each provide distinct mechanisms for rehabilitating companies in distress. Our table sets out the similarities and differences in the processes available in Australia, England & Wales, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the USA.

Object of schemes of arrangement

This table provides a high level overview of the restructuring and insolvency processes available in Australia, comparing their purposes, effects, advantages and disadvantages.