The Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, Mr Anthony Beven, has today placed the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation under special administration. The action follows a recent request for assistance by the directors.
The corporation was registered in 1979 and is based in Maningrida, east of Darwin in the Northern Territory. It delivers services under the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) program to approximately 500 participants.
The corporation also provides a range of community and essential services to the residents of Maningrida and nearby homelands, including municipal services, Maningrida Employment Services and a supermarket that serves a vital role in providing food and household items to the community at competitive prices.
The directors of the corporation wrote to the Registrar on 24 October 2012 requesting the appointment of a special administrator to help them resolve financial difficulties.
Mr Stephen Duncan and Mr Peter Lanthois from KordaMentha in Adelaide have been appointed as joint and several special administrators.
‘Bawinanga has been central to the Maningrida community for a long time,’ Mr Beven said. ‘The current process will provide the corporation with some breathing space while the special administrators review its financial position and recommend changes that may need to be made at Bawinanga.’
The special administrators have been appointed for six months and will work closely with the members of the corporation and the community to review the operations and governance of the corporation.
Background
Special administration is a special measure under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 which helps corporations to fix their own problems. The aim of the process is to restore a corporation to good health and once this is achieved to return control to members as soon as possible. For more information please see ORIC’s fact sheet Special administrations: what members and directors should know available at www.oric.gov.au.
Media contact
Patricia Gibson
(02) 6146 4743
31 October 2012
ORIC MR1213-17
Special administrators Stephen Duncan and Peter Lanthois
Phone: (08) 8212 6322
Mobiles: 0418 847 551 and 0407 258 959
Email: planthois@kordamentha.com or sduncan@kordamentha.com