Externally-administered companies will have 24 months to comply with financial reporting and AGM obligations, if ASIC's proposal goes ahead.

ASIC relief defers obligations to lodge financial reports and hold annual general meetings for companies in external administration by 6 months. Companies in liquidation (other than AFS licensees) do not have to comply with financial reporting or AGM obligations at all.

This week’s TGIF considers an application to wind up a company on just and equitable grounds. The Court declined to make the order, finding the suggested deadlock had an air of artificiality and the application was infused with self-interest.

Key takeaways

On 1 January 2021, a number of changes to Australia’s insolvency framework came into effect, pursuant to the Corporations Amendment (Corporate Insolvency Reforms) Act 2020 (Cth) (the Act).

In brief

This week’s TGIF considers the decision of the Supreme Court In the matter of IW4U Pty Limited (In Liquidation) [2021] NSWSC 40, where the liquidators failed to recover compensation despite establishing contraventions of directors’ duties following an apparent phoenix.

Key takeaways

This week’s TGIF considers the decision in Nikitins v EncoreFX (Australia) Pty Ltd (No 2) [2021] FCA 27, where the Federal Court found that funds paid into a holding account for the provision of foreign exchange services were held on trust and were not property of the liquidation.

Key takeaways

In March 2020 the Australian Government announced a series of amendments to the insolvency and bankruptcy laws as part of the wider economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those amendments were initially scheduled to end on 25 September 2020 and were then extended until 31 December 2020 to allow further breathing space for debtors.

On 1 January 2021 those amendments came to an end however most of these ameliorating changes have been kept, while some altered – possibly for the long term.

Corporate Debtors and Statutory Demands

2020 was a Jekyll and Hyde year for insolvency, both for New Zealand and our closest neighbour, Australia.

In our 2019 Litigation Forecast, we said 2020 would see two significant senior court decisions on directors’ duties engaged on insolvency.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a number of significant challenges for Australian businesses, and it seems these challenges are not over yet.

The temporary relief measures for financially distressed businesses and individuals that were introduced in March 2020 expired on 31 December 2020.

Although new insolvency reforms took effect from 1 January 2021, which are designed, in part, to help small companies survive insolvency, the recent wave of COVID-19 outbreaks and the consequential restrictions and lock-downs present further challenges for Australian businesses.

This week’s TGIF considers a recent decision of the NSW Supreme Court which determined an application to extend the time to bring voidable transaction claims, where the potential defendants were themselves insolvent, deregistered or bankrupt and the prospect of returns from the proceedings unclear.

Key takeaways