The Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, Anthony Beven, today announced the end of the special administration at the Mulan Aboriginal Corporation. Control of the corporation has been handed back to its members.
The corporation is based in the Mulan community in Western Australia about 280 kilometres south of Halls Creek. There are approximately 150 residents in the community.
On 13 July 2010, the Registrar appointed Mr Austin Taylor and Mr Stuart Reid from Meertens Chartered Accountants as joint and several special administrators of the corporation. This followed a request to the Registrar from the corporation’s directors for the appointment of a special administrator to assist them in a restructure of the corporation.
The special administrators have worked with the community to improve corporate governance, engage new staff in key positions and review the commercial businesses operated by the corporation. Following the review, the Mulan store has been incorporated as a stand-alone business: the Pinanyi Store Aboriginal Corporation, with its own board. Pinanyi in the local language is the name of the water lilies that grow in Lake Gregory, which is near the Mulan community.
‘The store’s profitability has improved under the control of the new corporation and new store managers and community members have acknowledged improved levels of service. This is a great outcome for the community who rely on the store for many of their essentials items,’ Mr Beven said.
A new CEO, Mr Garry Wise, was appointed to the Mulan Aboriginal Corporation by the special administrators in consultation with a community advisory group.
Mr Beven attended the Mulan Aboriginal Corporation’s annual general meeting on 25 November 2010 to advise the community of the end of the special administration. ‘The Mulan Aboriginal Corporation and now the Pinanyi Store Aboriginal Corporation are performing well and the outlook has improved markedly,’ he told the community. ‘The board has a clear role and, with some focused training from ORIC in the new year, will be well placed to maintain the current standards of governance and services.’
New directors of the Mulan Aboriginal Corporation were elected by the members at the annual general meeting. The directors started in their new role as soon as the special administration ended.
26 November 2010
Contact: Donna Murray
Tel: (02) 6219 7658
Ref: ORIC MR1011-16