Articles by Peter Gosnell

Deloitte duo’s Callide migraine persisting

Deloitte partner Richard Hughes. Deloitte partner Grant Sparks. Following their appointment in January as Special Purpose Administrators (SPAs) of IG Power Called Pty Ltd (IGPC) FTI Consulting’s John Park and Ben Campbell moved swiftly to ensure their general purpose equivalents didn’t impose burdensome obligations that might impede their work and yesterday that speed off the mark was rewarded. In Sev.en Gamma a.s v IG Power…


ARITA committee member’s re-election bid wobbling

O’Brien Palmer partner Liam Bailey. Hogan Sprowles partner Michael Hogan. O’Brien Palmer partner Liam Bailey‘s campaign for re-election to the ARITA NSW/ACT Divisional Committee was dealt a blow this week following the release of a detailed and potentially prejudicial report to creditors of McCorkell & Associates. Authored by Michael Hogan, who replaced Bailey as liquidator of the ad agency in 2023, the Hogan Sprowles partner…


Pitcher pair beg Burke for pre-liquidation payout

Pitcher Partners’ Lindsay Bainbridge. Pitcher Partners’ Andrew Yeo. When the CFMEU argues that delaying liquidation advantages uptown toffs at the expense of workers, cooperation is the way to go. Certainly a collaborative approach was on show last month when Pitcher Partners Andrew Yeo and Lindsay Bainbridge headed to the Supreme Court of Victoria seeking an extension of the convening periods for the second meetings of…


VAs and ATO at odds over alleged $150m fraud

Jones Partners principal Bruce Gleeson. Jones Partners Daniel Soire. Barring any road to Damascus conversion, Bruce Gleeson and Daniel Soire might anticipate hostility from certain quarters when they finally reconvene the second meeting of creditors of Dalma Form Specialist Pty Ltd (DFS). The Jones Partners‘ pair adjourned the second meeting on February 7 for up to 45 business days, ostensibly so they could conduct investigations…


Higher fees sees Judge reject Hall Chadwick

Hall Chadwick partner Blair Pleash. Marcus Watters of Hall Chadwick. Deciding which party’s liquidator will be appointed has occupied the minds of more than a few judges so far this year, but the following is the first decision in which respective charge out rates have figured prominently in the judicial deliberations. The matter comes courtesy of two directors who fell out and could agree only…


Rival IPs bound for court over alleged $150m fraud

Jones Partners principal Bruce Gleeson. Helm Advisory managing director Stephen Hathway. Rival insolvency practitioners could shortly be facing off control of a corporate group that’s allegedly defrauded the Australian Tax Office (ATO) of $150 million. Before any showdown with lawyers occurs however, the rivals have time to negotiate a less adversarial outcome thanks to the decision of the administrators of Dalma Form Specialist Pty Ltd…


BDO pair punted but avoid the worst

BDO partner Shaun McKinnon. It’s not often that the courts agree to set aside a vote of creditors and terminate a deed of company arrangement but Federal Court judge Roger Derrington did just that yesterday, and the deed administrators punted as a result might think themselves lucky. “In this case, the findings that the DOCA was an abuse of Pt 5.3A, that it was unfairly…


Worrells pair get the nod ahead of EY duo

EY director Martie Tziotis. EY partner Morgan Kelly. The Gallic shrug, best articulated by uttering c’est la vie may have been heard in EY Sydney’s George Street HQ this week after a judge of the NSW Supreme Court decided against appointing two of the big four firm’s restructuring specialists as liquidators of Rynever Pty Ltd. Instead, Judge Ashley Black sided with the plaintiff’s preferred nominees,…


Not so fast Mr Mansfield

Deloitte’s David Mansfield. Insolvency Options principal Darren Vardy. Maybe the perpetually youthful David Mansfield has known for a while that the winding up of Roseville Construction Services Pty Ltd (RCS) might not be a straightforward creditors voluntary given its links to one of Australia’s largest alleged payroll tax scams. Then again maybe not. Either way things could be set to change when liquidator Darren Vardy…


Liquidator deserves favour from predecessor

Aston Chace Group partner Ian Niccol. Levi Consulting’s David Levi. Using your casting vote to overcome opposition to the payment of your predecessor’s fees ought to earn a liquidator something, right? In the case of Ian Niccol, that something might be a placatory word from his predecessor in the ear of a certain director who’s given Niccol hell ever since he was appointed liquidator of…