Australia has posted a record fall in its GDP in 2020. At the same time, following a series of temporary measures introduced due to COVID-19, Australian insolvency filings have hit record lows.
This week’s TGIF looks at a recent case where the Federal Court ordered the reinstatement of two companies to allow proceedings to be commenced against the liquidator of those companies for alleged breaches of duty (Lee v Parker [2020] FCA 1453).
Key takeaways
This week’s TGIF looks at the decision of the Supreme Court of Victoria in Re Barokes Pty Ltd (in liq)
This week’s TGIF looks at the NSW Supreme Court’s recent guidance on factors relevant to whether a winding up ought be terminated.
Key takeaways
This week’s TGIF discusses the key elements of the Federal Government’s recently announced reforms to insolvency laws for businesses with liabilities below $1 million.
Key takeaways
The government has confirmed that restrictions on commercial landlords on presenting a winding-up petition against tenants that have not paid rent are to be extended to the end of 2020.
The announcement follows confirmation last week that it has extended its moratorium preventing the eviction of commercial tenants for non-payment of rent until the end of 2020.
Whilst the announcement will be welcomed by tenants supporting them into the important Christmas trading period, landlords will undoubtedly feel that their own financial position is being ignored.
This week’s TGIF looks at a decision of the Supreme Court of New South Wales where a liquidator sought to distribute a surplus of $8.7 million despite one of the shareholders who was potentially entitled to a portion of the surplus being bankrupt and a debtor of the company.
Key takeaways
This week’s TGIF examines a decision of the Supreme Court of Victoria in which an unfair preference claim was defended on the basis that the liquidators had been invalidly appointed and lacked standing to continue the proceeding.
Key takeaways
Commercial landlords are exposed to a range of risks from the economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. One new risk to be confronted will come from the increased prevalence of rental deferrals and interaction with the Australian insolvency regime over ‘unfair preferences’.
Why is rent ‘protected’ in normal trading conditions?
This week’s TGIF considers the decision in Cant v Mad Brothers Earthmoving Pty Ltd[2020] VSCA 198, where the Court of Appeal refused to find that a payment made by a third party on behalf of an insolvent company was an unfair preference.
Key takeaways