This week’s TGIF considers a recent decision of the Federal Court of Australia in Re Aviation 3030 Pty Ltd (in liq) [2021] FCA 1244 on section 477(2B) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) and approval of a liquidator’s proposal to enter into a settlement agreement with obligations that extend beyond three months.
Key Takeaways
In this article, I observe that insolvencies in the Queensland construction industry have remained at the same concerning level for years and I ask:
Will Statutory Trusts result in a reduction?
We will only know the answer to this question with certainty after the complete rollout is finished in 2023 but in the meantime, some steps can be taken today to control the risks associated with Trusts Compliance. In this article I consider:
It is now over 6 years since the Full Federal Court handed down its decision in the appeal case of Di Cioccio v Official Trustee in Bankruptcy (as Trustee of the Bankrupt Estate of Di Cioccio) [2015] FCAFC 30 (Cioccio). The Australian Financial Security Authority recently revisited the Cioccio decision in light of a number of subsequent decisions.
The court’s power to overturn the decisions of insolvency practitioners in a company’s external administration was highlighted in the recent case of Tuscan Capital Partners Pty Ltd v Trading Australia Pty Ltd (in liq), in the matter of Trading Australia Pty Ltd (in liq) (Proof of Debt) [2021] FCA 1061 (Tuscan).
Part 1: A Broad Overview of Bankruptcy
‘As privileged professionals, who live by the words of the English language, lawyers have a special duty to be clear in what they say and write’
When discussing any area of law, precision is essential.
A common source of confusion amongst both lawyers and the public generally is the difference between insolvency and bankruptcy. Though you may see the terms being used interchangeably (especially in legal dramas), the two concepts are distinct.
A Practical Guide to Bankruptcy:
Part 1: A Broad Overview of Bankruptcy
‘As privileged professionals, who live by the words of the English language, lawyers have a special duty to be clear in what they say and write’[1]
When discussing any area of law, precision is essential.
The new 2021 year brought in various changes to insolvency laws, which included the introduction of the Small Business Restructuring (SBR) process to assist small businesses in restructuring their debts. This new regime provides an opportunity for eligible small businesses which are financially distressed, but otherwise viable, to continue trading into 2021 and beyond. However, a question that we have recently been faced with is whether a company that is a corporate trustee of a trust, also known as a trustee company, is able to avail itself of the SBR process.
This week’s TGIF considers a recent decision of the Federal Court where a company was found to be ‘insolvent’ for the purposes of assessing breach and termination of a contract, despite its subsequent survival and ongoing trading.
Key Takeaways
The Supreme Court of New South Wales has recently handed down its decision in proceedings (“Arrium Proceedings”) brought by a number of lenders against former officers and employees of Arrium Limited and its subsidiaries (“Arrium”).
Introduction
Justice Ball’s landmark decision1 dismissing the lenders’ claims addressed various important issues that often arise when a borrower is facing financial distress in Australia, including:
In Australia, s 436A of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Act) provides for the circumstances in which a company may appoint a voluntary administrator. This provision requires the company’s board to resolve that: (a) in the opinion of the directors voting for the resolution, the company is insolvent, or is likely to become insolvent at some future time; and (b) an administrator of the company should be appointed.