A comprehensive review has begun into the effectiveness of Australia’s corporate insolvency laws in protecting and maximising value for the benefit of all interested parties and the economy. Undertaken by the Federal Government’s Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, the review is seeking submissions by 30 November 2022.

On 28 September 2022, the Federal Government, through the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services (PJC), began an inquiry into corporate insolvency in Australia.

The announcement follows calls from industry for a ‘root and branch’ review of corporate insolvency law in Australia.

Submissions are open until 30 November 2022 and the PJC intends to table a report to Parliament by 30 May 2023.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services has commenced an inquiry into Australia’s corporate insolvency regime. The inquiry, due to be completed by 30 May 2023, will examine the effectiveness of the current regime and consider potential reform.

Key takeaways

On 8 August 2022, the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA) released a joint guide detailing how personal bankruptcy and the liquidation of a company can interact. The guide was first released in 2017 and has since been updated in July 2022.

This 2022 review provides an overview of recent Australian Restructuring and Insolvency activity along with the laws, their application and recent trends and development in restructuring and insolvency activity.

Chapters:

You should consider the possibility of placing a company into provisional liquidation if there is a risk that a company’s assets will be dissipated to the detriment of that company and a creditor or member of a company, a party can consider putting the company.

The power of a Court to appoint a provisional liquidator to a company stems from section 472(2) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Act).

Pursuant to section 472(2) of the Act, a provisional liquidator of a company has either powers:

WHITE PAPER An Update on Insolvency in the Australian Construction Industry The construction sector in Australia has long been affected by insolvency and broader liquidity issues. In the last year, construction companies accounted for 26% of businesses that entered into insolvency, and insolvencies in the construction sector more than doubled. This year, contractors have been further squeezed by inflation, supply chain issues and labour market shortages. As the federal government has wound back its COVID-19 economic stimulus packages, further collapses seem inevitable.

In a recent case involving a former financial services provider in liquidation, thousands of pending claims from former customers and a letter of comfort with a looming expiry date, the Liquidators appointed to wind up Forex Capital Trading Pty Limited successfully applied to the Federal Court of Australia for orders permitting them to conduct an expedited process for the adjudication and admission of claims.

Background

Overview

On 18 February 2020, the Treasury Laws Amendments (Combating Illegal Phoenixing) Act 2020 (TLA(CIP)) was enacted. In broad terms, the TLA (CIP):

In The Australian Sawmilling Company Pty Ltd (in liq) v Environment Protection Authority [2021] VSCA 294 (Australian Sawmilling), the Victorian Supreme Court of Appeal (VSCA) dismissed an appeal by the liquidators of The Australian Sawmilling Company Pty Ltd (TASCO) against a decision of Garde J of the Victorian Supreme Court (VSC) setting aside the liquidators’ disclaimer of land subject to significant environmental ‘clean up’ costs (Primary Judgment).