Registered liquidators

Important notice: Registered liquidators can now submit certain statutory reports, all applications for assetless administration funding, and requests for ASIC's assistance in an external administration to us via the ASIC Regulatory Portal. Visit our information page for more detail about this change.

You must be registered as a liquidator to be appointed to any type of insolvent external administration.

A registered liquidator is a natural person who is registered as a liquidator under the Corporations Act 2001. They are allocated a Registered Liquidator Number and their name and number appear on ASIC's Register of Liquidators.

Registered liquidators act in a fiduciary capacity, and often have total management control of the affairs, money and other property of a body corporate.

An application for registration as a registered liquidator is made to ASIC and will be referred to a committee who will interview the applicant and may require that the applicant sit an examination. The committee must decide to register a person as a liquidator if the committee is satisfied the person:

  • has certain base level qualifications, experience, knowledge and abilities
  • will take out the required insurance
  • has not been convicted, within 10 years before making their application, of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty
  • is not, and has not been within 10 years before making their application, an insolvent under administration
  • have not had their registration as a liquidator under the Corporations Act or as a trustee under the Bankruptcy Act 1966 cancelled within 10 years before making the application, other than in response to a written request by the person
  • is not disqualified from managing corporations under Part 2D.6 of the Corporations Act or under a law of an external Territory or a law of a foreign country
  • is otherwise a fit and proper person
  • is resident in Australia

ASIC must register a person as a liquidator if the committee decides the person should be registered and the person produces evidence in writing to ASIC that they have taken out the required insurance. The registration has effect for 3 years.

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What's new

Insolvency reforms commence on 1 January 2021

Reforms to corporate insolvency laws commence on 1 January 2021 for companies with liabilities less than $1 million.  These reforms include:

-a new debt restructuring process for incorporated businesses

-a new, simplified liquidation pathway for small businesses, and

-a new class of registered liquidator who can only undertake the debt restructuring process.

Corporations Amendment (Corporate Insolvency Reforms) Act 2020

Corporations Amendment (Corporate Insolvency Reforms) Regulations 2020

Insolvency Practice Rules (Corporations) Amendment (Corporate Insolvency Reforms) Rules 2020

 

Industry funding

The Government has introduced new laws that change the way ASIC is funded. Regulated entities will receive an invoice for ASIC’s regulatory services delivered in the prior year. Find out what this means for registered liquidators.

 

Quicklinks

Insolvency Law Reform Act 2016

Releases on insolvency

Liquidator registration applications

Registered liquidator disciplinary decisions

Insolvency statistics

AFSA - ARITA - ASIC joint liaison meetings

 

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ASIC Corporate Insolvency Update

Published notices

View insolvency and deregistration notices on the published notices website.

Last updated: 20/10/2014 12:00