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Small Business Restructure Melbourne

Minimising debt, maximising profitability.
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About your recovery partner

Accountants Daily Finalists, Fastest Growing Firm
AFR Top 100 Accounting Firms
CA and CPA Qualified Accountants
National Team
ASIC Registered Liquidators
ARITA Professional Members

Talk to our Melbourne team

Our Melbourne office is in the CBD on Collins Street, and we work with businesses right across Greater Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Level 12, 90 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
1300 497 611

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Small Business Restructure across Australia

Sydney (Head Office)

Level 12, 20 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Contact our Sydney SBR team

Brisbane

Level 14, 120 Edward Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000

Contact our Brisbane SBR team

Perth

Level 2, 68 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000

Contact our Perth SBR team

What is a Small Business Restructure?

A Small Business Restructure (SBR) lets an eligible company restructure what it owes without handing over the keys. You keep running the business while a Small Business Restructuring Practitioner (SBRP), helps you put a restructuring plan and proposal statement to creditors. No external administrator takes over.

Set out in the Corporations Act 2001, this is the faster, lower cost alternative to Voluntary Administration for businesses that are still viable with total liabilities under $1 million. Move early and you keep more options open, including avoiding Liquidation.

Explore our SBR guide

How a Small Business Restructure benefits your Melbourne business

Retain control

Stay in control of the company throughout the restructuring process.

Reduce creditor legal action

While your company is in a Small Business Restructure, creditors generally can't pursue repayment.

Solve a director penalty notice (DPN)

An SBR can help protect you from becoming personally liable for the company's debt.

Take a breath

Space to steady the business while you work with experts on a plan to get back on track.

Turnaround efficiently

A simplified process means outcomes come faster than most formal insolvency options.

Cost-effective

Lower cost than Voluntary Administration, with a fixed fee agreed up front.

Is your company eligible for a Small Business Restructure?

Tick most of these? Speak to our experts to confirm where you stand.

Your next steps

Getting help is simpler than you might think, and the Small Business Restructure process starts with one free, confidential conversation.

Assessment

We review your financial position and find the right solution, which isn't always the one you first had in mind.

Strategic planning

We build a restructuring plan to manage debt, improve cash flow and reduce costs.

Creditor proposals

We prepare your restructuring proposal statement and put the plan to creditors, engaging the ATO early where it strengthens your position.

Implementation

The approved plan goes into action, so you can stabilise operations and keep trading.

Book a Free Consultation

Don’t meet the criteria?

Your debt relief options may include:

Voluntary Administration

Unsure your business can stay financially afloat? Enabling the company to move forward while distributing money to creditors. Most crucially, it gives you the breathing space and structure to continue trading in a viable way, with a plan to bring your business back to profitability.

Safe Harbour

Providing protection for directors from claims of insolvent trading, as long as they adhere to a formal restructuring plan. At Mackay Goodwin, we’ll guide you through. Working as your restructuring partner, we’ll put a strategy and plan in place for you to follow. Helping your business to strengthen, and succeed.

Creditors Voluntary Liquidation

In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL), our ASIC registered liquidators can ease the process on the role of Company Liquidator. Dealing with the formalities of convening shareholders, and facilitating a procedure in which the company is placed into Liquidation. Helping to relieve stress at every stage.


Simplified Liquidation

If your company is insolvent and total liabilities do not exceed $1 million, you may be eligible for Simplified Liquidation. A more streamlined version of CVL, we’ll work with you to close your business the right way, with clarity and understanding.


Members' Voluntary Liquidation

Eliminate the communication hurdle involved with dissolving a company through a MVL Mackay Goodwin will conduct a review, liquidate your company and distribute any assets to the relevant parties.

How a Melbourne concreter cut a $200,000 tax debt by 70%

Labour shortages, rising material costs and compliance pressure had drained this Melbourne concreting company's cash flow. Each month came down to the same call, pay the team or pay the tax office, and a $200,000 tax debt had built up. Liquidation looked like the only way out.

It wasn't. Through a Small Business Restructure, the company reduced that debt by 70%, to around $60,000, and kept trading.

Carrying a tax bill you can't see past? This is what a way through can look like.

See how it played out in our Melbourne SBR case study.

Meet your Melbourne restructuring team

When your business is under pressure, the people in your corner matter. Our Melbourne team brings more than 20 years of experience in corporate restructuring and turnaround, including ASIC registered liquidators who'll guide you through every step.

Richard LawrenceRichard Lawrence hover

Richard Lawrence

Director & ASIC Registered LiquidatorMelbourne

Richard Lawrence is a highly experienced Chartered Accountant with a strong focus on insolvency, restructuring, and business advisory. With a career spanning several leadership roles, Richard has advised numerous businesses on navigating financial challenges and maximising value for all stakeholders. His expertise includes corporate restructuring, business recovery, and managing complex insolvency cases. Richard’s commitment to providing tailored solutions has made him a trusted advisor, ensuring businesses can overcome financial hurdles and thrive. He has held key positions in prominent firms, where he applied his extensive knowledge to deliver sustainable outcomes for clients.

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John Kukulovski

John Kukulovski

Director & ASIC Registered LiquidatorMelbourne

John Kukulovski brings over 20 years of experience in the insolvency industry across Australia and the United Kingdom. As a Director at Mackay Goodwin, he is committed to the company’s mission of “Standing with Australian Businesses in the moments that matter.” John’s expertise spans voluntary administrations, liquidations, receiverships, and small business restructurings.

He has supported businesses in various sectors, including construction, hospitality, sporting clubs, information technology, manufacturing, and real estate, developing a deep understanding of the challenges associated with financial distress and recovery. John’s focus is on guiding Australian business owners through difficult times, ensuring positive outcomes for all stakeholders.

John holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accountancy) and is a member of the Institute of Public Accountants. His combination of practical experience and strong educational foundation enables him to deliver tailored solutions that address the unique needs of each business.

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Jack MichieJack Michie hover

Jack Michie

Associate DirectorMelbourne

Jack has over a decade of experience in corporate insolvency. Working through a diverse range of both formal and informal appointments, Jack is passionate when it comes to helping clients and stakeholders achieve successful outcomes. After completing his Bachelor of Commerce, Jack is further extending his study as he works towards completing his CPA and ARITA qualifications.

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Trusted by Victorian business owners

"I couldn't speak highly enough of the Mackay Goodwin team. They were very professional and knowledgeable, yet they all had a sincere desire to help us out of a very difficult and stressful situation."

- Patricia Signorelli

"Mackay Goodwin is one of those rare firms we trust completely. They combine deep technical knowledge with a human approach, understanding the emotional weight our clients often carry when they reach this point."

- Gavin Waring

"Great team of experts in their field. Can't recommend them highly enough."

- Paul Evans

Small Business Restructuring in Melbourne – FAQs

Consistent cash flow problems, mounting creditor pressure or a growing tax debt are common signs. If you're managing these while still trading, an SBR may let you keep control and steady the business.

Bring your recent financial statements, a list of creditors, details of any outstanding employee entitlements, and any current forecasts or business plans. We'll review where things stand and map out the right next step.

Other paths include Simplified Liquidation, Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation or Voluntary Administration and DOCA. We'll talk through which one suits your situation and the outcome you're after.

A restructuring plan can reduce what you owe, reset payment terms and improve cash flow. The biggest benefit is that you can keep trading and avoid Liquidation. Every business is different, so we map the likely outcome before you commit.

Yes. The ATO is usually the largest creditor in a Small Business Restructure, so its vote tends to decide the outcome. Before your restructuring proposal statement goes to creditors, we engage with the ATO to surface any concerns and adjust the proposal where needed, whether that's the proposed return, the instalment terms or the supporting evidence. It's a step many directors don't know exists, and it gives your plan a stronger chance of approval.

In most cases, yes. Once a restructuring practitioner is appointed, a moratorium pauses most creditor enforcement while your plan is prepared. That gives you room to focus on the business instead of fielding demands.

A Small Business Restructure deals with your company's unsecured debts, such as trade creditors, tax debts and unsecured loans. Unsecured creditors vote on the plan, and the size of each debt sets the weight of their vote. A secured creditor, one holding a security interest over a company asset, sits outside the plan unless they choose to take part, so that secured creditor keeps their rights over the asset. Personal guarantees you've signed are separate too, so they aren't automatically cleared, and we'll explain how any guarantees affect your options.

Get in touch

Speak to one of our experts now for a free consultation. Enter your details below or call 02 8001 6520.