Former Western Australian director Joanne Pellew has been sentenced in the District Court of Western Australia for dishonestly using her position as a director and for managing a corporation while disqualified.

On 4 September 2026, the Honourable Justice Howard sentenced Ms Pellew to a total effective sentence of three and a half years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of one year and nine months.

On 2 July 2026, a jury found Ms Pellew guilty of three counts of dishonestly using her position as a director contrary to s184(2)(a) and one count of managing corporations while disqualified contrary to s206A(1)(a) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).

Ms Pellew’s conviction concerned her conduct:

• in May 2018, when Ms Pellew dishonestly and unlawfully made three separate transfers totalling around $739,655 from Ochre Training Pty Ltd to Ochre Workforce Solutions Pty Ltd, and
• in June 2019, when Ms Pellew participated in making decisions that affected Ochre People Pty Ltd by entering a labour hire agreement with the Western Australian Country Health Service while disqualified from managing corporations.

In sentencing Ms Pellew, his Honour Justice Howard stated, ‘white-collar offending is often difficult to detect, investigate and prosecute, and I find that to be the case here. The law allows for the creation of companies as fictional persons, which allow for limited liability trading, and that is to protect individuals from liability. However, directors' duties are imposed to prevent, in part, abuses of the corporate form.’

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) (CDPP) prosecuted the matter following an ASIC investigation and referral.

Background

Ms Pellew was automatically disqualified from managing corporations on 20 February 2019 when she was made a bankrupt. Ms Pellew was also disqualified from managing corporations by ASIC for five years commencing 28 October 2019 (19-311MR).

In May 2021 Ms Pellew was charged with breaching her directors’ duties, making a false or misleading statement to ASIC and managing a corporation while disqualified (21-158MR).

In July 2026, a jury found Ms Pellew guilty of four offences (26-145MR).

At the time of offending, the maximum penalties for the offences for which Ms Pellew has been convicted of were:

• section 184 of the Corporations Act carried a maximum penalty of imprisonment of 5 years or and/or a fine of 2000 penalty units, and
• section 206A of the Corporations Act carried a maximum penalty of imprisonment of 5 years and/or a fine of up to 600 penalty units.