The Sounds of the Baskerville

Hosted by Thesolvers.com.au

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Episodes

127

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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About the show

That's info-tainment! Chris Baskerville is an astute businessman, Chartered Accountant, Liquidator, Bankruptcy Trustee and State Managing Partner of a national firm. Chris is also able to share his expertise and experience in an entertaining and informative way. James Flaherty talks with the showman himself. You may laugh, you may cry, you may throw things at whatever device is playing this podcast . Tune in and join in.

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60 recent

August 14, 2026Episode 12721 min

127. 7 Lessons from ASIC's Biggest Restructuring Review

ASIC's biggest ever review of voluntary administration is out, covering 5,000 companies over four years. Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty pull seven lessons from it, and the numbers reframe how VA and SBR sit next to each other. Bigger companies restructure more successfully, but 15% of VAs still had debts under $250,000. VAs' share of external administration has dropped from a third to just 10% since SBR arrived, and two-thirds of DOCA proposals now involve a third party funding the deal rather than the company itself. The related-party voting rules also work in opposite directions between VA and SBR, which changes how a proposal gets built.

July 30, 2026Episode 12619 min

126. Why SBRs Are Losing the Room

SBR numbers have nearly halved. Acceptance rates have dropped from 80% to the mid-60s, then jumped the moment the 2026 budget landed. Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty ask why, and what it's costing. Creditors want more now. Twenty cents in the dollar used to cut it. Now it's closer to 30, and even generous offers are getting knocked back. Chris breaks down the real maths: when does an SBR actually beat just paying the tax debt outright? The pair also put a dollar figure on what's being left on the table when a plan doesn't go ahead, and it's not small change. They make the case for lifting the $1 million threshold, with a pointed message to the ATO about consistency along the way. If you've ever wondered whether an SBR stacks up, this one's got the numbers.

July 8, 2026Episode 12517 min

125. Does Anyone Actually Want This

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty take a fascinating detour into the world of business ideas. The good, the bad, and the ones that consume everything a founder has and still don't fly. From zombie unicorns burning through venture capital to the classic small business trap of pouring personal savings into a product the market never actually wanted, Chris and James explore why passion alone is never enough. Chris unpacks what the ideal business actually looks like, one that makes money while you sleep, and why the greatest risk for any founder is failing to ask the market one simple question: does anyone actually want this?

July 1, 2026Episode 12419 min

124. It's All on You

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty explore one of the great inequalities in Australian business, the stark difference between what's at stake for a small business director versus the director of a large corporation when things go wrong. Chris unpacks why small business owners intertwine their entire lives. Family home, personal assets, reputation. With their company, while large company directors often walk away unscathed, protected by governance structures, D&O insurance, and other people's capital. He also shares a sobering war story about a brilliant manufacturer undone by stepping away for too long.

June 23, 2026Episode 12317 min

123. You Guys Need to Get Busy

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty pick up where they left off, exploring the wave of business distress building across Australia and what it really means for directors, accountants, and advisors navigating an increasingly complex environment. Chris unpacks the psychology of the director who holds on until the bitter end, why accountants are bearing the brunt of every new tax change, and what the rise of AI actually means for the professions built around numbers and judgment. The message isn't panic. It's adaptation. Survival of the most adaptable, not the fittest.

June 16, 2026Episode 12214 min

122. You Guys Are Going to Be Busy

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty take stock of where Australian small businesses find themselves right now. Budget changes, tightening capital gains tax concessions, a harder ATO, and rising interest rates on second-tier lending have quietly closed the escape hatch that many directors have been relying on — drawing equity from the family home to prop up a leaking business. Chris unpacks why pouring money into a broken business model is just buying time, not buying survival. He also pulls back the curtain on what insolvency practitioners actually do — and why the directors who call early get options, while those who wait until the plane is nosediving pay a much steeper price.

June 10, 2026Episode 12117 min

121. The Nightclub and The Engineer

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty bring the SBR vs Voluntary Administration debate to life with real war stories from the coalface. First up: a nightclub owner who poured his personal injury compensation into a business, only to find himself trapped in the wrong restructuring tool and how switching to VA changed everything. Then Chris flips the script with a COVID-era engineering firm that was the textbook case for SBR: a fundamentally sound business, a hockey stick recovery in sight, and a director who just needed one clean break from legacy debt. The lesson? Neither tool is universally better. The right answer depends on who you owe, what assets you hold, and how early you ask for help. And the earlier you call, the more options you have.

June 3, 2026Episode 12018 min

120. The Creditor Matrix

In this second instalment of The Sounds of the Baskerville's deep dive into restructuring, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty get into the mechanics of the decision, what Chris calls the Creditor Matrix. Because the right path isn't just about cost or control. It's about who you owe money to, how much power they hold, and whether they like you. Chris unpacks why the ATO dominates nearly 80% of all SBR creditor pools and what happens when it doesn't. He explains why voluntary administration is the only real option for businesses with complex assets, related party creditors who want a vote, or directors who need to buy time. He also tackles licensing and why a construction company entering VA may never trade again. The matrix isn't complicated. But getting it wrong is.

May 27, 2026Episode 11916 min

119. Not Every Job is a Nail

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty go head-to-head on one of the most important decisions a distressed business can face. Both tools exist to restructure and preserve viable companies, but they are not interchangeable, and choosing the wrong one could cost you dearly. Chris breaks down the key differences: who stays in control, what the eligibility thresholds really mean, why unpaid super can be a dealbreaker, and why voluntary administration offers flexibility that SBR simply can't. He also explains the compelling maths behind SBR, how a director contributing $200,000 can wipe out $1 million in debt, and when that equation no longer makes sense.

April 28, 2026Episode 11824 min

118. Drugs, Diamonds & Divorce

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and Pierce Carstensen are back — and this time the gloves are off. Pierce delivers two jaw-dropping war stories that bring the family law and insolvency crossover to vivid life: a diamond merchant framed on death row, and a debtor who tried to hide everything behind a conveniently timed divorce. But beneath the remarkable storytelling lies a serious message for creditors, directors, and insolvency practitioners. Pierce reveals why the family court can actually be a more powerful forum to recover assets than the state courts — and why failing to intervene in family law proceedings could mean walking away empty-handed. If Episode 117 was the theory, Episode 118 is where it gets real.