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If a company is insolvent or in financial difficulty, it can be put into external administration. The three most common forms of external administration are:†ï voluntary administration (which may lead to a deed of a company arrangement)

ï liquidation, and

ï receivership.

When a company enters into voluntary administration, a deed of company arrangement or a liquidation, it is important that the person put in charge (the ëexternal administratorí) is independent of the company and its directors, and acts in the interests of creditors as a whole.

This information sheet provides general information for unsecured creditors in a liquidation, voluntary administration or deed of company arrangement to help assess whether the external administrator is independent.

The independence requirement in other forms of external administration (e.g. receivership) is not discussed in this information sheet.

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There are different groups of people with different interests involved in the insolvency of a company. These include directors, shareholders, creditors who hold security over assets of the company, unsecured creditors, employees (who may also be creditors) and customers. The external administrator must treat all of these groups fairly and in accordance with their legal rights. For an external administrator to be independent, they must:

ï not be biased towards any person or group

ï not have, or have had, a close personal or business relationship with any person involved in the insolvency where that relationship would lead someone to suspect that they would favour the interests of that person, and

ï not be in a position where their own personal or private interests conflict with their duties in the insolvency.

administrator may not be accepted as being independent if there is a real chance that circumstances exist that may threaten the personís independence in the future.

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A person appointed as an external administrator of an insolvent company must be a registered liquidator. They must also be an official liquidator if the appointment as liquidator is made by the court.

At the time of agreeing to take the appointment, the person must both be, and be accepted as being, independent. If the person knows at the time there is the real prospect of a threat to independence arising in the future, the person should not take the appointment (even if they tell creditors about the threat) without the courtís approval.

A person must not be appointed as an external administrator of an insolvent company if they have any of the following relationships with the insolvent company, unless the court gives its approval:

ï either the person or a company where the person is a substantial shareholder owes more than $5000 to the insolvent company or a related company

ï the person is owed more than $5000 by the insolvent company or a related company (other than fees they are owed through their role as an external administrator)

ï the person is a director, secretary, senior manager or employee of the insolvent company

ï the person is a director, secretary, senior manager or employee of a company that is a mortgagee of the property of the insolvent company

ï the person is an auditor of the insolvent company

ï the person is a partner or employee of an auditor of the company

ï the person is a partner, employer or employee of an officer of the company, or

ï the person is a partner or employee of an employee of an officer of the company.

Even if none of these relationships exists, the person must not take on the appointment if, in the circumstances, there is a real risk they cannot be independent and be accepted as being independent by those interested in the affairs of the insolvent company.

If a liquidator is appointed by the court, they act as an officer of the court and they should tell the court before they are appointed of any circumstances they are aware of that might cause doubts about their independence.

A person who is consenting to be appointed as voluntary administrator or liquidator in a creditorsí voluntary liquidation must send to creditors, with the notice of the first meeting of creditors, a declaration about any relationships they may have. The declaration must:

ï set out whether the person, their partners in a firm or their company or an associated company has, or has had in the past two years, a relationship with either:

ñ††the insolvent company

ñ an associate of that company

ñ a former liquidator or former provisional liquidator of that company, or

ñ a secured creditor with security over the whole or substantially the whole of the companyís property, and

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state the personís reasons for believing that none of the relationships result in the person having a conflict in accepting the appointment.

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Insolvency: a glossary of terms

The declarations must be given to creditors to allow them to consider the personís independence and make an informed decision about whether they want to replace the person with someone of the creditorsí choice.

If, as a creditor, you receive a declaration of relationships or indemnities, and you are concerned whether the circumstances might cast doubt upon whether the person would be independent, you should ask the person about the circumstances that lie behind the declaration. You may also consider whether they should be replaced.

Before a person takes an appointment as an external administrator, they must make reasonable inquiries to ensure there are no real threats to their independence. The person must also continue to monitor their independence during the period of the appointment and take action should such a threat arise. Depending on the threat, this may involve applying to court or calling a meeting of creditors to give details of the potential threat and allow a decision to be made by the court or the creditors about how the threat should be managed and whether the person should continue to act or be replaced.

As discussed below, in some circumstances, you may seek to remove the person if you have doubts as to their independence and replace them with an external administrator of the creditorsí choice. Any replacement should also prepare the relevant declaration(s) about their relationships with various specified parties and, in a voluntary administration, also any indemnities they have been given for their fees and costs.

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Voluntary administration: a guide for creditors

for more information about this meeting.

At the second creditorsí meeting in the voluntary administration where creditors agree to accept the proposal for a deed of company arrangement, they can also choose who they wish to be deed administrator. This person does not have to be the current voluntary administrator, but may be someone else of the creditorsí choosing.

If the deed of company arrangement fails and creditors resolve to terminate the deed and wind up the company, they can also choose someone other than the deed administrator to be the liquidator (provided the other person has agreed, in writing, to act as liquidator).

If the liquidator has been appointed by the court, only the court can remove the liquidator from acting. Creditors cannot remove a court-appointed liquidator by passing a resolution at a meeting of creditors.

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In a creditorsí voluntary liquidation, the creditors may, by a majority in number and value, vote to replace the liquidator appointed by members at the first meeting of creditors. This meeting must be called within 11 days of the liquidator being appointed. See ASICís information sheet INFO 45

Liquidation: a guide for creditors

. If, at the second meeting of creditors in a voluntary administration, creditors vote that the company go into liquidation, it is usual for the voluntary administrator to become the liquidator of the company. Creditors, by majority in number and value, may vote to appoint another person to act as liquidator.

You should first raise any queries or complaints with the external administrator. If this fails to resolve your concerns, including any concerns about their conduct, you can lodge a complaint with ASIC at www.asic.gov.au/complain, or write to:

ASIC Complaints PO Box 9149 TRARALGON VIC 3844

ASIC will usually not become involved in matters of commercial judgement by an external administrator. Complaints against companies and their officers can also be made to ASIC. For other enquiries, email ASIC through infoline@asic.gov.au, or call ASICís Infoline on 1300 300 630 for the cost of a local call.

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Insolvency: a glossary of terms

. For more on external administration, see ASICís related information sheets at www.asic.gov.au/insolvencyinfosheets:ï INFO 74 Voluntary administration: a guide for creditors

ï INFO 75

Voluntary administration: a guide for employees ï

INFO 45 Liquidation: a guide for creditors ï

INFO 46 Liquidation: a guide for employees ï

INFO 54 Receivership: a guide for creditors ï

INFO 55 Receivership: a guide for employees ï

INFO 43 Insolvency: a guide for shareholders ï

INFO 42 Insolvency: a guide for directors ï

INFO 85 Approving fees: a guide for creditors †

These are also available from the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) website at www.ipaa.com.au. The IPA website also contains the IPAís Code of Professional Practice for Insolvency Professionals, which applies to IPA members.

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There are two types of liquidation for an insolvent company: creditorsí voluntary and court. The most common type is a creditorsí voluntary liquidation, which usually begins in one of two ways:

1. when creditors vote for liquidation following a voluntary administration or a terminated deed of company arrangement, or

2. when an insolvent companyís shareholders resolve to liquidate the company and appoint a liquidator. Within 11 days of being appointed by shareholders, the liquidator must call a meeting of creditors who may confirm the liquidatorís appointment or appoint another liquidator of the creditorsí choice.

In a court liquidation, a liquidator is appointed by the court to wind up a company following an application, usually by a creditor.

The liquidatorís role is to:

collect, protect and realise the companyís assets

ï investigate and report to creditors about the companyís affairs, including any unfair preferences which may be recoverable, any uncommercial transactions which may be set aside, and any possible claims against the companyís officers

ï enquire into the failure of the company and possible offences by people involved in the company and report to ASIC

ï after payment of the costs of the liquidation, and subject to the rights of any secured creditor, distribute the proceeds of realisationófirst to priority creditors, including employees, and then to unsecured creditors, and

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apply for deregistration of the company on completion of the liquidation.

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Corporations Act 2001

(Corporations Act), a liquidator is not required to do any work unless there are enough assets to pay their costs.

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Directors cannot use their powers after a liquidator has been appointed. They must help the liquidator, including providing the companyís books and records, and a report about the companyís affairs.

The liquidatorís primary duty is to all of the companyís creditors. The shareholders rank behind the creditors and are unlikely to receive any dividend in an insolvent liquidation unless they also have a claim as a creditor.

In a court liquidation, the liquidator is not required to report to the shareholders on the progress or outcome of the liquidation.

The liquidator is not required to hold a meeting of shareholders during a creditorsí voluntary liquidation. A joint meeting of the creditors and shareholders must be held at the conclusion of the winding up.

Shareholders in both types of insolvent liquidation can request that the liquidator call separate meetings of shareholders and creditors to decide whether a committee of inspection should be appointed and, if so, who will represent the shareholders and creditors on the committee. However, the shareholder(s) making the request must pay the costs of calling and holding these meetings. A committee of inspection assists the liquidator, approves their fees and, in limited circumstances, approves the use of some of their powers.

A transfer of shares in a company or alteration of status of shareholders during a liquidation will not be effective unless the liquidator gives their written consent or the court permits. The liquidator or the court will need to be satisfied that the transfer of shares, or the alteration in the status of shareholders, is in the best interest of the company as a whole and does not breach other sections of the Corporations Act that deal with the rights of shareholders.

When giving written consent to a transfer of shares in a company or alteration of status of shareholders, the liquidator can impose conditions which must be satisfied before the transfer or alteration is effective. In the case of a transfer of shares, the current shareholder, the prospective shareholder, or a creditor, may apply to the court to set aside any or all of these conditions. Similarly, a shareholder or a creditor may apply to the court to set aside any or all conditions that must be satisfied for an alteration in the status to have effect. A shareholder or a creditor may also apply to the court to authorise an alteration in the status of shareholders if the liquidator refuses the alteration.

The liquidator can call on the holders of any unpaid or partly paid shares in the company to pay the amount outstanding on those shares.

If a liquidator makes a written declaration that they have reasonable grounds to believe there is no likelihood that shareholders will receive any further distribution in the winding up, shareholders can realise a capital loss. To realise a loss, the shares in the company must have been purchased on or after 20 September 1985. If no such declaration is made by the liquidator, the deregistration of a company at the end of the liquidation also enables realisation of any capital loss.

Listed and very large companies usually have financial reporting obligations under the Corporations Act. ASIC has given relief so that such companies donít need to comply with these obligations if they

are in liquidation. Also, public companies in insolvent liquidation donít need to hold annual general meetings (this does not apply to a section 509 meeting).

The liquidator must lodge a detailed list of their receipts and payments for the liquidation with ASIC every six months. A copy of these statements of receipts and payments may be obtained from any ASIC Business Centre, on payment of the relevant fee. The liquidator must also make them available at their office for inspection by shareholders and creditors.

Voluntary administration is designed to resolve a companyís future direction quickly. An independent and suitably qualified person (the voluntary administrator) takes full control of the company to try to work out a way to save either the company or the companyís business.

If this isnít possible, the aim is to administer the affairs of the company in a way that results in a better return to creditors than they would have received if the company had instead been placed straight into liquidation. A mechanism for achieving these aims is a deed of company arrangement.

After taking control of the company, the voluntary administrator investigates and reports to creditors on the companyís business, property, affairs and financial circumstances, and on the three options available to creditors. These are:

1. end the voluntary administration and return the company to the directorsí control

2. approve a deed of company arrangement through which the company will pay all or part of its debts and then be free of those debts, or

3. wind up the company and appoint a liquidator.

The voluntary administrator must give an opinion on each option and recommend which option is in the best interests of creditors.

The voluntary administrator has all the powers of the company and its directors. This includes the power to sell or close down the companyís business or sell individual assets in the lead up to the creditorsí decision on the companyís future.

The voluntary administrator must also report to ASIC on possible offences by people involved with the company.

If a deed of company arrangement is approved, the voluntary administrator will usually become the deed administrator and oversee its operation.

Directors cannot use their powers while the company is in voluntary administration. They must help the voluntary administrator, including providing the companyís books and records, and a report about the companyís business, property, affairs and financial circumstances, as well as any further information about these that the voluntary administrator reasonably requires.

If the company goes from voluntary administration into a deed of company arrangement, the directorsí powers depend on the deedís terms. When the deed is completed, the directors regain full control, unless the deed provides for the company to go into liquidation on completion.

If the deed is not completed and the company goes into liquidation as a result, the directors cannot use their powers, as discussed in the liquidation section above.

Shareholders and voluntary administration †

A voluntary administrator isnít required to report to shareholders on the progress or outcome of the voluntary administration. Shareholders donít get to vote on the future of the company.

A transfer of shares in a company or alteration of status of shareholders during a voluntary administration will not be effective unless the voluntary administrator gives their written consent or the court permits. The voluntary administrator or the court will need to be satisfied that the transfer of shares, or the alteration in the status of shareholders, is in the best interest of the company as a whole and does not breach other sections of the Corporations Act that deal with the rights of shareholders.

When giving written consent to a transfer of shares in a company or alteration of status of shareholders, the voluntary administrator can impose conditions which must be satisfied before the transfer or alteration is effective. In the case of a transfer of shares, the current shareholder, the prospective shareholder, or a creditor, may apply to the court to set aside any or all of these conditions. Similarly, a shareholder or a creditor may apply to the court to set aside any or all conditions that must be satisfied for an alteration in the status to have effect. A shareholder or a creditor may also apply to the court to authorise an alteration in the status of shareholders if the voluntary administrator refuses the alteration.

Shareholders are bound by a deed of company arrangement approved by creditors. Also, the deed administrator may transfer shares in the company with the written consent of the shareholder or with the courtís permission. A shareholder, a creditor, ASIC or any other interested person can oppose an application to the court by the deed administrator to approve a share transfer.

If a deed administrator makes a written declaration that they have reasonable grounds to believe there is no likelihood that shareholders will receive any further distribution at any time in the future, shareholders can realise a capital loss. To realise a loss, the shares in the company must have been purchased on or after 20 September 1985.

The statutory financial reporting obligations of listed and very large companies remain while they are in voluntary administration or under a deed of company arrangement. ASIC has given relief so that a company in voluntary administration may defer meeting its financial reporting obligations for six months after the appointment of the voluntary administrator. ASIC may grant relief to a company under voluntary administration or subject to a deed of company arrangement from the requirement to hold an annual general meeting.

To get the benefit of this relief, ASIC must be notified that it is being relied on and the administrator must answer, free of charge, reasonable inquiries from shareholders about the administration during the deferral period. If the company is listed, the relevant stock exchange must also be told. The relief also provides for the use of alternative methods of distributing an annual report to shareholders at the end of the period.

At the end of this deferral period, if the company is still in voluntary administration or under a deed of company arrangement, ASIC may give the company an exemption or further deferral from all or some of their financial reporting obligations in certain circumstances.

ASIC may also give an extension of time for the annual general meeting or decide to take no action for failure to hold the annual general meeting if a public company is in voluntary administration or under a deed of company arrangement.

A voluntary administrator and a deed administrator must lodge a detailed list of receipts and payments with ASIC every six months and at the end of their administration. A copy of these statements of

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receipts and payments may be obtained from any ASIC Business Centre, on payment of the relevant fee.

A company goes into receivership when an independent and suitably qualified person (the receiver) is appointed by a secured creditor or, in special circumstances, by the court to take control of some or all of the companyís assets. A secured creditor is someone who has a charge, such as a mortgage, over all or some of a companyís assets.

Court receiverships are not covered in this information sheet.

The powers of the receiver are set out in the charge document and the Corporations Act.

If a receiver has, under the terms of their appointment, the power to manage the companyís affairs, they are known as a receiver and manager.

The receiverís role is:

ïto collect and sell enough of the charged assets to repay the debt owed to the secured creditor

ïif they have been appointed under a fixed charge (e.g. over land, plant or equipment), to pay out the money collected:

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first, to pay the secured creditor, and †

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second, if there are any funds left over, to pay this surplus to the company or its other external administrator if one has been appointedï if they have been appointed under a floating charge (e.g. over cash, debtors or stock), to pay out the money collected:

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first, to pay priority claims (including certain employee entitlements) †

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second, to pay the secured creditor, and

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third, if there are any funds left over, to pay the company or its other external administrator if one has been appointed, andï to report to ASIC any possible offences or other irregular matters.

The receiver is usually paid from the money collected during the receivership.

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Receivership does not affect the legal existence of the company. The directors continue to hold office, but their powers depend on the powers of the receiver and the extent of the assets over which the receiver is appointed.

Control of the charged property, which often includes the companyís business, is taken away from them.

Directors must provide the receiver with a report about the companyís affairs and must allow the receiver access to books and records relating to the charged property.

than its market value or, if there is no market value, the best price reasonably obtainable. A receiver also has the same general duties as a company director.

The statutory financial reporting obligations of listed and very large companies remain while it is in receivership, as do the requirements for public companies to hold annual general meetings.

However, ASIC has given relief so that a company with a receiver appointed to the whole or substantially the whole of its property may defer meeting its financial reporting obligations for six months after the receiverís appointment.

To get the benefit of this relief, the receiver must tell ASIC they are relying on it, and agree to answer, free of charge, reasonable inquiries from shareholders about the receivership during the deferral period. If the company is listed, the relevant stock exchange must also be told. The relief also provides for the use of alternative methods of distributing an annual report to shareholders at the end of this period.

At the end of this deferral period, ASIC may give an exemption or further deferral from all or some of the financial reporting obligations, in certain circumstances. ASIC may also give an extension of time for the annual general meeting, or decide to take no action for failure to hold the annual general meeting.

The receiver must lodge a detailed list of their receipts and payments for the receivership with ASIC every six months. A copy of these statements of receipts and payments may be obtained from any ASIC Business Centre, on payment of the relevant fee.

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Insolvency: a glossary of terms

. For more on voluntary administration, liquidation and receivership, see ASICís related information sheets, available at www.asic.gov.au/insolvencyinfosheets: ï INFO 74

Voluntary administration: a guide for creditors †

INFO 75

Voluntary administration: a guide for employees

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INFO 45 Liquidation: a guide for creditors ï

INFO 46 Liquidation: a guide for employees ï

INFO 54 Receivership: a guide for creditors ï

INFO 55 Receivership: a guide for employees ï

INFO 42 Insolvency: a guide for directors ï

INFO 84 Independence of external administrators: a guide for creditors ï

INFO 85 Approving fees: a guide for creditors †

These are also available from the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) website at www.ipaa.com.au. The IPA website also contains the IPAís Code of Professional Practice for Insolvency Professionals, which applies to IPA members.

You may also wish to check the website of the external administratorís firm and the companyís website for any information on a particular external administration.

An insolvent company is one that is unable to pay all its debts when they fall due for payment. There are serious penalties for allowing your company to trade while insolvent. If your company is in financial difficulty, you should seek independent advice on your duties and the options available.

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Corporations Act 2001

(Corporations Act), a person may also be a director if they are not formally appointed but act in that role, or if the directors of the company act in accordance with their instructions or wishes.

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Generally, in addition to the requirement to ensure compliance with general and specific laws applying to your companyís operations, your primary duty is to the shareholders. However, if your company is insolvent, or there is a real risk of insolvency, your duties expand to include creditors (including employees with outstanding entitlements).

General duties imposed by the Corporations Act on directors and officers of companies include:

ï the duty to exercise your powers and duties with the care and diligence that a reasonable person would have, which includes taking steps to ensure you are properly informed about the financial position of the company and ensuring the company doesnít trade if it is insolvent

ï the duty to exercise your powers and duties in good faith in the best interests of the company and for a proper purpose

ï the duty not to improperly use your position to gain an advantage for yourself or someone else, or to cause detriment to the company, and

ï the duty not to improperly use information obtained through your position to gain an advantage for yourself or someone else, or to cause detriment to the company.

As well as general directorsí duties, you also have a positive duty to prevent your company trading if it is insolvent. A company is insolvent if it is unable to pay all its debts when they are due. This means that before you incur a new debt you must consider whether you have reasonable grounds to suspect that the company is insolvent or will become insolvent as a result of incurring the debt.

An understanding of the financial position of your company only when you sign off on the yearly financial statements is insufficient. You need to be constantly aware of your companyís financial position.

Your company must keep adequate financial records to correctly record and explain transactions and the companyís financial position and performance. A failure of a director to take all reasonable steps to ensure a company fulfils this requirement contravenes the Corporations Act.

For the purposes of an insolvent trading action against a director, a company will generally be presumed to have been insolvent throughout a period where it can be shown to have failed to keep adequate financial records.

There are various penalties and consequences of insolvent trading, including civil penalties, compensation proceedings and criminal charges.

The Corporations Act provides some statutory defences for directors. However, directors may find it difficult to rely upon these if they have not taken steps to keep themselves informed about the companyís financial position.

Contravening the insolvent trading provisions of the Corporations Act can result in civil penalties against directors, including pecuniary penalties of up to $200,000.

Compensation proceedings for amounts lost by creditors can be initiated by ASIC, a liquidator or a creditor against a director personally. A compensation order can be made in addition to civil penalties.

Compensation payments are potentially unlimited and could lead to the personal bankruptcy of directors. The personal bankruptcy of a director disqualifies that director from continuing as a director or managing a company.

If dishonesty is found to be a factor in insolvent trading, a director may also be subject to criminal charges (which can lead to a fine of up to $220,000 or imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both). Being found guilty of the criminal offence of insolvent trading will also lead to a directorís disqualification.

ASIC has successfully prosecuted directors for allowing companies to incur debts when the company is insolvent, and has sought orders making directors personally liable for company debts. ASIC also runs a program to visit directors, where appropriate, to make them aware of their responsibilities to prevent insolvent trading.

The good news is that taking steps to ensure your company remains financially sound will minimise the risk of an insolvent trading action. It may also improve your companyís performance.

If you suspect your company is in financial difficulty, get proper accounting and legal advice as early as possible, as this increases the likelihood of the company surviving. One of the most common reasons for the inability to save a company in financial distress is that professional advice was sought too late. Do not have a ëhead in the sandí attitude, hoping that things will improveóthey rarely do. Table 1 lists some of the warning signs of insolvency.

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ï ongoing losses ï poor cash flow ï absence of a business plan ï incomplete financial records or disorganised internal accounting procedures ï lack of cash-flow forecasts and other budgets ï increasing debt (liabilities greater than assets) ï problems selling stock or collecting debts ï unrecoverable loans to associated parties ï creditors unpaid outside usual terms ï solicitorsí letters, demands, summonses, judgements or warrants issued against your company ï suppliers placing your company on cash-on-delivery (COD) terms ï issuing post-dated cheques or dishonouring cheques ï special arrangements with selected creditors ï payments to creditors of rounded sums that are not reconcilable to specific invoices ï overdraft limit reached or defaults on loan or interest payments ï problems obtaining finance ï change of bank, lender or increased monitoring/involvement by financier ï inability to raise funds from shareholders ï overdue taxes and superannuation liabilities ï board disputes and director resignations, or loss of management personnel ï increased level of complaints or queries raised with suppliers ï an expectation that the ënextí big job/sale/contract will save the company

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An insolvency practitioner can conduct a solvency review of your company and outline available options. You need to be aware of your options so that you can make informed decisions about your companyís future. Options may include refinancing, restructuring or changing your companyís activities, or appointing an external administrator.

The three most common forms of external administration are:

1. voluntary administration (which may lead to a deed of a company arrangement)

2. liquidation, and

3. receivership.

Of these, only the first two are normally options for directors, as a receiver is usually appointed by a secured creditor. (Other forms of external administration are not explained in this information sheet.)

To find an insolvency professional, visit the Insolvency Practitioners Association website at www.ipaa.com.au. This site lists insolvency accountants and lawyers, and you can search for members in your location.

If you receive a s222AOE penalty notice from the Commissioner of Taxation for your companyís unpaid tax, you should immediately seek professional advice. Failure to take appropriate steps within 14 days may result in the Commissioner taking recovery action against you personally for an amount equivalent to the unpaid tax.

If your company is insolvent, do not allow it to incur further debt. Unless it is possible to restructure, refinance or obtain equity funding to recapitalise the company, generally your options are to appoint a voluntary administrator or a liquidator.

Voluntary administration is designed to resolve the companyís future direction quickly. An independent and suitably qualified person (the voluntary administrator) takes full control of the company to try to work out a way to save either the company or the companyís business.

If it isnít possible to save the company or its business, the aim is to administer the affairs of the company in a way that results in a better return to creditors than they would have received if the company had instead been placed straight into liquidation.

A mechanism for achieving these aims is a deed of company arrangement.

Putting a company into voluntary administration is a simple and quick process. It can be done by the board of the company resolving that the company is insolvent, or likely to become insolvent, and an administrator should be appointed. The directors also need to obtain the written consent of a registered liquidator to act as voluntary administrator.

The purpose of liquidation of an insolvent company is to have an independent and suitably qualified person (the liquidator) take control of the company so that its affairs can be wound up in an orderly and fair way for the benefit of its creditors.

An insolvency professional will be able to advise you of the steps required to appoint a liquidator. Generally, a director-initiated liquidation involves calling a meeting of members to vote on winding up the company and the appointment of a liquidator.

A company most commonly goes into receivership when a receiver is appointed by a secured creditor who holds security over some or all of the companyís assets. The receiverís primary role is to collect and sell sufficient of the companyís charged assets to repay the debt owed to the secured creditor.

A director who is also a secured creditor should seek advice before appointing a receiver.

As well as the possibility of insolvent trading action, discussed earlier, there are other consequences for directors of a company that goes into external administration. These vary depending on the type of external administration.

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directors depend on the deedís terms. When the deed is completed, the directors regain full control unless the deed provides for the company to go into liquidation on completion.

In a receivership, the powers of the directors depend on the powers of the receiver, as detailed in the charge document, and the extent of the assets over which the receiver is appointed. If the receiver is appointed over all or most of the assets of a company, the receiver effectively has control, although the directors still have certain responsibilities and duties, and may retain residual control.

Generally, directors have an obligation to assist the external administrator by:

ï advising the external administrator of the location of company property and delivering any such property in their possession to the external administrator

ï providing the companyís books and records to the external administrator (voluntary administration and liquidation) or giving access to the books and records to the external administrator (receivership)

ï advising the external administrator of the whereabouts of other company records

ï providing a written report about the companyís business, property and financial circumstances within either 5 business days (voluntary administration), 7 days (creditorsí voluntary liquidation) or 14 days (receivership and court liquidation) of the appointment of the external administrator, and

ï meeting with, or reporting to, the external administrator to help them with their enquiries, as reasonably required.

Directors, officers and other people with relevant books and records have a responsibility to the company and to creditors, and must not obstruct external administrators in carrying out their duties.

Meetings of creditors are held in voluntary administrations and liquidations.

Both a voluntary administrator and liquidator can also require a director to attend a creditorsí meeting to provide information about the company and its business, property, affairs and financial circumstances.

A voluntary administrator or liquidator has the power to apply to the court to conduct a public examination, under oath, of a director. A receiver can also apply for a public examination, if ASIC consents.

Being summonsed to appear for a public examination is a serious matter and should not be ignored. Seek immediate legal advice if you are in any way concerned about the public examination process or your rights.

The external administrator conducting the public examination may be interested in your personal financial position or further details about assets or transactions the company undertook. Often the need for a public examination can be avoided by cooperating with the external administrator.

If a director has been involved with two or more companies that have gone into liquidation within the last 7 years and paid their creditors less than 50 cents in the dollar, ASIC may disqualify them from managing corporations for up to 5 years. This effectively bans a person from acting as a director.

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ASIC can also apply for orders disqualifying a person from managing corporations for up to 20 years if they have been an officer of two or more companies that have failed within the last 7 years, and the way in which the companies were managed contributed to the failures.

It is an offence for anyone, including a director, to enter into an agreement or transaction with the intention of avoiding employee entitlements of a company. The maximum penalty is $110,000 or 10 years imprisonment, or both.

If the company is in liquidation and the employees suffer damage or loss as a result of a person entering into such an agreement or transaction, that person is liable to pay compensation for the loss suffered. This liability can arise even if the person has not been convicted of an offence for the contravention. A recovery action for compensation can be taken by the liquidator or, in certain circumstances, by an employee.

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Insolvency: a glossary of terms

. For more on voluntary administration, liquidation and receivership, see ASICís related information sheets, available at www.asic.gov.au/insolvencyinfosheets: ï INFO 74

Voluntary administration: a guide for creditors ï

INFO 75 Voluntary administration: a guide for employees ï

INFO 45 Liquidation: a guide for creditors ï

INFO 46 Liquidation: a guide for employees ï

INFO 54 Receivership: a guide for creditors ï

INFO 55 Receivership: a guide for employees ï

INFO 43 Insolvency: a guide for shareholders ï

INFO 84 Independence of external administrators: a guide for creditors ï

INFO 85 Approving fees: a guide for creditors †

These are also available from the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) website at www.ipaa.com.au. The IPA website also contains the IPAís Code of Professional Practice for Insolvency Practitioners, which applies to IPA members.