Law reform

Treasury Laws Amendment (Measures for a later sitting) Bill 2018: Miscellaneous amendments

The law reform process of going through a piece of legislation and picking up minor errors is useful and necessary ...

Insolvency law – assets and liabilities, activities and affairs – ASIC and AFSA

ASIC has released its new Report On Company Activities and Property (ROCAP), said to have been the result of an ...

Debtors’ breathing spaces – UK reforms

This UK government consultation concerns new arrangements proposed for a 60 day ‘breathing space’ for struggling debtors, and for a ...

The elephant in the room of SMEs

It now seems that an old elephant in the room – about the misconduct of banks and financial institutions – ...

UK Crown priority in insolvencies to be restored

The UK government has announced in its 2018 budget that priority dividend payments will be made to the revenue for ...

Law reform obituary – CAMAC 1983-2018

The Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee (CAMAC) was a corporate law reform body comprising individuals eminent in that field.  It ...

Insolvency remuneration – time-charging, or better?

Lawyers’ fees in class actions were the subject of a recent conference[1] paper by Sir Rupert Jackson, given in Melbourne, ...

Voluntary administrations and the benefits, or otherwise, of board turnover

Research just published[1] has looked at the relation between board turnover and the likelihood that a company that enters a ...

Litigation funding – ASIC’s submission to the ALRC

ASIC’s submission[1] to the Australian Law Reform Commission on class actions and litigation funding seemed to be a surprise to ...

Senate inquiry into unlicensed debt managers, credit repairers and payday lenders

The Senate Committee inquiry into debt management firms comes at an odd time, given pending regulation of such services by ...

ASIC’s new insolvency ‘ROCAP’ – the Report On Company Activities and Property

The long history of the report as to affairs in corporate insolvency – the RATA – which started about 1890, ...

NSW Registered Clubs – insolvency law change required

Registered clubs all over the country get into financial trouble, sometimes requiring the formal insolvency processes under the Corporations Act ...

Competing with phoenix operators, rather than combatting – a goverment liquidator

The World Bank has come out with reports[1] that support the Australian government’s attempts to control unlawful phoenix activity, by ...

Unclaimed moneys in bankruptcies – the law reformed

Those who are owed “unclaimed moneys” arising from a bankruptcy – for example a creditor whose dividend payment went astray ...

The bankruptcy of Lehman Bros – a mere coincidence

Ten years ago, on 15 September 2008, Professor Rosalind Mason of QUT Brisbane and I gave a paper at the ...

NZ Insolvency Practitioners Bill – RITANZ submission

The submission of RITANZ of 7 September 2018 on the proposed Insolvency Practitioners Bill presently before the NZ parliament raises ...

Ordinary course of post – now 7 days not 4

Section 160 of the Commonwealth Evidence Act 1995 has been amended to change the day when posted letters are presumed to ...

Insolvency and trust law – a legislative solution is needed regardless of the High Court’s views

While the High Court no doubt gave special leave to appeal in Amerind under the statutory criterion of resolving legal ...

New Zealand insolvency practitioner reforms

Submissions on proposed major changes to NZ insolvency laws through the Insolvency Practitioners Bill, presently before parliament, closed on 24 ...

Bankruptcy statement of affairs

The bankruptcy office – the Australian Financial Security Authority – is asking for comment on a revised form of “statement ...

Keay’s Insolvency – a law reform launch

The recent launch of the new 10th edition of Keay’s Insolvency prompted some pointed comments about the current insolvency system ...

Major insolvency reforms for the UK – elements of US Ch 11 and schemes

The UK government has announced[1] major insolvency law reforms that would significantly advance the flexibility required for restructuring financially troubled ...

New family law court structure introduced into parliament

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Bill 2018 (FCFC Bill) and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of ...

Uniformity in corporate law – the High Court’s grant of special leave in Amerind

A comment in the Victorian Court of Appeal (VCA) decision in Amerind may not have found favour with Justice Gageler ...