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破产、重组 & 自主性 administration 

 

  1. Voluntary administration

  2. Deed of company arrangement (DOCA)

  3. Liquidation

  4. Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR)

  5. Director's duties

  6. Personal bankruptcy 

Restructuring & Turnaround Management

 

Restructuring involves changing the legal, financial, or operational structure of a business to improve its performance and viability.

Insolvency 

当一个人或一家公司无法在到期时支付债务时,他们将被视为资不抵债。面对这种无能为力时,该公司根据法律有多种选择。

公司最常选择的选项是: 

  1. 清算

  2. Receivership 

  3. 自愿管理

重组和周转管理

当提到重组时,法律是指为特定目的重组公司结构的行为。这些结构可以包括所有权变更、运营变更、公司法律身份变更或以上所有内容。重组最常见的原因是增加利润、并购和资不抵债。

普通法和澳大利亚公司法规定的董事职责 

 

根据 2001 年公司法(联邦)第 180 和 183 条

《2001 年公司法》(联邦)第 2D 章规定了公司董事和职员的一般职责。第 180 条特别规定了董事有义务尽职尽责地履行职责和行使权力。这种谨慎行使权力和尽职调查的义务吸引了商业判断规则的应用。一起阅读,本节要求导演:
 

  • 出于善意和正当目的,在自己的权力范围内做出决定

  • 避免对决定的主题有个人利益

  • 在被认为合理适当的范围内告知自己决定的主题 

  • 做出决定时要牢记公司的最大利益。


此外,第 183 条增加了董事的一般职责,禁止他们不正当地使用因其在公司中的角色而获得的信息,为自己或他人谋取任何利益或对公司造成损害。

根据《2001 年公司法》(联邦)第 1317E 条,此类职责的任何矛盾都会受到民事处罚。 

 

根据 2001 年公司法(联邦)第 184 条,董事可能要承担刑事责任

指导董事职责的另一个重要部分是 2001 年公司法(联邦)第 184 条。
根据本节,如果公司董事鲁莽或故意未能本着善意或公司的最大利益或出于正当目的行使权力和履行职责,则该董事将承担刑事责任。

根据 2001 年公司法(联邦)第 588G 条

第 588G 节规定公司董事有义务防止在资不抵债时进行交易。如果发现以下情况,则适用本节:

  • 公司在交易时资不抵债,或因产生债务或数笔债务而资不抵债,并且

  • 在发生债务时,有合理理由怀疑公司资不抵债,并且

  • 董事未能阻止交易或产生债务。

不遵守本节可能会招致民事和刑事责任。

2001 年公司法(联邦)规定的董事职责摘要 

公司的董事基本上控制着公司从入职到执行人员的各个方面的运作方式。董事的角色因公司而略有不同,因为不同类型的业务交易有不同的要求。这些要求通常会在公司章程中列出,概述其董事的具体需求。

2001 年公司法(联邦)规定的董事职责

被任命为公司董事的责任还具有《公司法》规定的一系列职责和义务。

首先,有四项主要职责:

  1. 谨慎和勤勉 – 要求董事以该角色应有的合理程度的谨慎和勤勉行事(第 180 条)。

  2. 诚信 – 要求董事本着诚信和公司的最大利益行事(第 181 条)。

  3. 不得不当使用信息——禁止董事不当使用在其董事职责过程中获得的信息,为自己或他人谋取利益,损害公司利益(第 182 条)。

  4. 不得不当利用职位——禁止董事不当利用其职位为自己或他人谋取利益,损害公司利益(第 183 条)

其次,该法案还涵盖了其他主要职责:

  1. 无力偿债交易——要求董事确保公司在交易时有偿付能力,并且能够在到期和应付时支付债务(第 588G 条)。

  2. 财务记录保存和报告义务——要求董事确保公司的财务记录和报告义务都得到满足(第 344 条)。

  3. 披露董事的利益冲突——要求董事确保披露他们持有的任何可能的利益冲突(第 191、208、205G 条)。

  4. 向 ASIC 提出义务(第 188 条)。

  5. 持续披露——适用于对市场信息进行重新评级的上市公司(第 674 条)。


清盘人的职责和义务

under 2001 年公司法第 506(3) 节(联邦)

The 清盘人 必须还债 公司 并调整 权利 他们之间的贡献者。

  • 权利包括地位和利益

根据 S533 节 Act 

(1) 如果出现了 清盘人 of a 公司, 在 the  清盘的过程中公司, 那:

(a) 过去或现在  或员工,或a 成员 or 贡献的, 的 公司 may  been 有罪的 of an 罪行 在a 下英联邦法律 or a 状态 or 领土 与 有关公司;或者

(b) a  参与组建,晋级, 行政, the  的管理或清盘公司:

(一)) may  misapplied or retained, or may  become liable or accountable for,              any_cc781905-5cde-31934-bb3bd5 or 支柱厄蒂 of the 公司;或者

(ii)  may  been 有罪的 任何疏忽, 默认, 与  the 有关的违反义务或违反信托公司;或者

(c)  the 公司 可能无法支付its 无抵押 creditors 超过 50 美分的美元;

the 清盘人 必须:

(d)  尽快,并在 any 事件 在 6 个月内,在他或她看来如此之后, 小屋 关于此事的报告和 状态 在报告中他或她是否求婚 制作 考试申请 or 命令 under 第597节;和

(e)  give 专用集成电路 such 信息, 并为其提供检查和复制 any  的访问权限和设施文件, as 专用集成电路 requires。

 

破产 

破产是一种法律程序,您被宣布无法偿还债务。它可以让您摆脱大部分债务,减轻负担并让您重新开始。

您可以自愿破产。为此,您需要填写并提交破产表格。您欠债的人(债权人)也有可能通过法庭程序让您破产。我们将此称为扣押令。

根据法律,此人还有多种选择。一个人最常选择的选项是:

 

  1. 临时债务保护 (TDP)

  2. 债务协议

  3. 个人破产协议 (PIA)

  4. 破产

破产的后果 

  • 您将有一个受托人来管理您的破产

    • 您有义务向您的受托人提供有关您情况的信息

  • 破产可能会影响您的收入、就业和业务

    • 如果您的受托人确定您的收入超过收入设定金额,他们会要求您支付收入贡献[?]。供款是我们经常用来表示从您的收入中强制付款的词。

  • 破产并不能免除您的所有债务

    • 大多数无担保债务都在破产保护范围内——这意味着您不再需要偿还这些债务。

  • 它会影响您出国旅行的能力

    • 您必须向您的受托人申请出国旅行许可。未经书面同意,出国旅行属于违法行为。 

  • 您的名字将永久出现在国家个人破产指数 (NPII) 中

  • 破产会影响您获得未来信贷的能力

  • 您的受托人可能会出售您的资产

  • 您可能会失去采取或继续采取法律行动的权利

  • 从您提交破产表格之日起,破产通常持续 3 年零 1 天

临时债务保护 (TDP)

它提供了 21 天的保护期,在此期间无担保债权人(包括治安官)无法采取执法行动来收回您欠他们的钱。这意味着他们不能扣押您的工资,也不能让治安官/法警没收您的货物。

您可以利用这段时间:

  • 向免费的财务顾问寻求建议——请参阅哪里可以寻求帮助

  • 与您的债权人协商付款计划。您可以自己进行或授权他人代表您进行谈判

  • 考虑是否有任何正式破产选择适合您——请参阅:我有哪些选择?

 

一旦申请,您在 12 个月内不能再次申请临时债务保护。

  • 有些商品仍然可以收回,例如安全资产

  • 有些债务不包括在内。其中包括子女抚养费、HELP 债务和法院处以的罚款。

  • 债权人可以用它来让你破产。 TDP 是一种“破产行为”,可用于向法院提出申请。

  • 债权人仍然可以采取一些行动

  • 你没有破产

  • 它没有记录在个人破产的公共登记册上

 

债务协议

债务协议是可用的两种协议选项之一。债务协议,也称为第 IX (9) 部分,是您与债权人之间具有法律约束力的协议[?].

债务协议可以是一种灵活的方式,可以在不破产的情况下达成解决债务的安排。

个人破产协议 (PIA)

个人破产协议 (PIA) 是可用的两种协议选项之一。 PIA,也称为 X (10) 部分,是您和您的债权人之间具有法律约束力的协议[?]。

PIA 可以是一种灵活的方式,可以在不破产的情况下达成清偿债务的安排。

个人破产协议涉及:

  • 任命受托人[?] 来控制您的财产并向您的债权人提出要约。

  • 要约可能是分期或一次性支付部分或全部债务。

  • 破产是一种法律程序,您被宣布无法偿还债务。它可以让您摆脱大部分债务,减轻负担并让您重新开始。

  • 您可以自愿破产。为此,您需要填写并提交破产表格。您欠债的人(债权人)也有可能通过法庭程序让您破产。我们将此称为扣押令。

Sidney Cityscape

Section 588G Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)

S 588G sets out the director’s duty to prevent insolvent trading by a company. Insolvent trading occurs when a company incurs a debt while it is unable to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable.  A director who fails to prevent insolvent trading may be liable for civil penalties, compensation orders, or criminal charges. key tests in applying s588G are; 

  • The company was insolvent at the time of trading or became insolvent by incurring debt or several debts, and

  • At the time of incurring debt, there were reasonable grounds for suspecting that the company was insolvent, and

  • The director failed to prevent trading or incurring of debt.

Safe Habour Rule in Australia 

A safe harbour rule in Australia in the context of alleged insolvent trading, is a legal provision that reduces or eliminates the liability or penalty for a certain conduct, as long as some conditions are met.  the purpose of the rule is to protect directors from being liable for insolvent trading, if they can show that they were developing a plan to restructure the company and improve its financial situation

According to the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), the conditions for the insolvent trading safe harbor are:

  • The director must suspect that the company is or may become insolvent;

  • The director must start developing one or more courses of action that are reasonably likely to lead to a better outcome for the company than liquidation;

  • The debt must be incurred directly or indirectly in connection with the course of action;

  • The course of action must be implemented within a reasonable period of time;

  • The director must inform the company’s employees, creditors, and shareholders of the course of action and its progress;

  • The director must meet the company’s tax reporting and payment obligations;

  • The director must not engage in any dishonest or fraudulent conduct.
     

If the director meets these conditions, they can rely on the safe harbor as a defense against any claim of insolvent trading. However, the safe harbor does not protect the director from other liabilities or obligations, such as breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, or misconduct.​

Voluntary administration
Voluntary administration is a process that allows a company that is facing financial or operational difficulties to appoint an independent administrator to manage the company’s assets and liabilities. The administrator will try to find a way to save the company or its business, or to get a better outcome for the creditors than if the company was liquidated. During the voluntary administration, the company is protected from legal actions by its creditors, and the creditors have a say in the future of the company.

Deed of company arrangement (DOCA)

DOCA stands for Deed of Company Arrangement, which is a binding agreement between a company and its creditors that is made after the company enters voluntary administration. The purpose of a DOCA is to save the company or its business, or to provide a better outcome for the creditors than liquidation.

A DOCA is proposed by the director or a third party and is administered by a deed administrator. A DOCA affects the rights and obligations of the company, the creditors, and the owners of the property. 

Benefits of entering into a DOCA

Personal bankruptcy 

Bankruptcy law in Australia is the area of law that regulates the process and consequences of declaring oneself or being declared unable to pay one’s debts. Bankruptcy law is governed by the Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth) and administered by the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA). Bankruptcy law aims to balance the interests of debtors and creditors, and to provide relief and a fresh start for debtors, while ensuring fair and equitable distribution of their assets among creditors.

Several commonly adopted options for a debtor within a bankruptcy regime are:

 

  1. Temporary debt protection (TDP)

  2. Debt agreements

  3. Personal insolvency agreements (PIA)

  4. Bankruptcy

 

Bankruptcy law covers various aspects.

  1. The types and eligibility criteria of bankruptcy and other insolvency options, such as debt agreements, personal insolvency agreements, and temporary debt protection;
     

  2. The roles and responsibilities of bankruptcy trustees, who manage the affairs of bankrupt individuals or companies;
     

  3. The rights and obligations of bankrupt individuals such as reporting income and assets, making compulsory payments, and complying with restrictions on travel, employment, and business activities;
     

  4. The effects and duration of bankruptcy on the financial and personal situation of bankrupt individuals or companies, such as the discharge of most debts, the loss of certain assets, the impact on credit rating, and the permanent record on the National Personal Insolvency Index;
     

  5. The grounds and procedures for challenging or setting aside certain transactions that may be considered voidable or fraudulent, such as uncommercial transactions, unfair preferences, or creditor-defeating dispositions.

Consequences of bankruptcy 

bankruptcy also has serious consequences that can affect one's financial and personal situation for many years. Some of the consequences of bankruptcy in Australia are:
 

Bankruptcy is not the only option to deal with unmanageable debt. There may be other alternatives, such as debt agreements, personal insolvency agreements, or informal arrangements, that suit your situation better. You should seek professional advice before you decide to apply for bankruptcy.

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