The Federal Court’s recent decision in Stone (Liquidator), in the matter of RIC Admin Pty Ltd (in liq) v Mandalinic (No 2) [2024] FCA 164 demonstrates the analysis the courts will undertake in determining a director’s personal liability for insolvent trading, even when the director does not appear for the hearing. The case reiterates how…
The Australian startup ecosystem is facing its next wave of financial challenges. With a 54% decline in capital raised by Australian startups in 2023 and a 14.5% rise in insolvencies, Australian startups are financially strained. For those operating in the capital-intensive tech sector in particular, the time between funding rounds is harder than ever. Tech…
The holding company of a superannuation fund created seven years ago to service gig economy and self-employed workers has entered voluntary liquidation. The GigSuper Group collapsed just over two years ago, reportedly owing creditors $2.7 million. Both the holding company, GigSuper Holdings Pty Ltd, and the subsidiary company, GigSuper Pty Ltd, entered voluntary administration in…
APP founders Brendan McKeegan and Phil McFarlane. Photo: Food Frontier ISOLATES manufacturer Australian Plant Proteins has entered voluntary administration, with hopes that a buyer or investor can step in to continue operations. Founded in 2016 by Brendan McKeegan and Phil McFarlane, APP employs more than 30 people at two Victorian locations, a research-and-development site at…
Darlinghurst Theatre Company has announced via social media and its website that its directors have resolved to place the company into voluntary administration as of 17 June 2024. The company was formed in 1993 by Glenn Terry. Housed in The Eternity Playhouse since 2013, the Darlo has been a mainstay of Australian theatre for three…
Major private debt collector Panthera Finance has appointed new directors and put parts of the company into administration as it seeks to sell off its scandal-plagued business. Last month, Guardian Australia revealed Panthera, one of the countrys biggest private debt collection firms, had circumvented a blacklisting designed to stop it from operating in Victoria and…
Joint liquidators Daniel Lopresti and Simon Miller are urgently seeking parties who may be interested in making offers to purchase the business or assets of Hindmarsh-based knitwear maker Silver Fleece. The company best known for making the Australian cricket teams woollen tops went into liquidation on Wednesday after more than 70 years of creating custom…
The holding company of a superannuation fund created seven years ago to service gig economy and self-employed workers has entered voluntary liquidation. The GigSuper Group collapsed just over two years ago, reportedly owing creditors $2.7 million. Both the holding company, GigSuper Holdings Pty Ltd, and the subsidiary company, GigSuper Pty Ltd, entered voluntary administration in…
The number of companies entering external administration has hit a ten-year record high last month, illustrating the mounting pressures on businesses. John Park, senior managing director at FTI Consulting, outlines why and how businesses of all sorts and sizes should be taking sensible precautions. For the nine-month period from 1 July 2023 to 31 March 2024,…
There has been an increase in company insolvencies in Australia. Startups and early-stage technology companies have not been shielded from this, with recent high-profile collapses including Tritium and Milkrun. In this article we discuss insolvent trading risks, the state of the startup market, unique risks to startups and the protections offered by the “safe harbour”…