Tax office takes Simone Holzapfel’s Shac Communications to court for wind-up over alleged unpaid debts

THE controversial PR company behind six council candidates and a slew of developers, faces being shut down by the Federal Court. Here’s why.

Lobbyist Simone Holzapfel leaves a hearing at the Crime and Corruption Commission in Brisbane, Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

THE Australian Tax Office is seeking to wind-up controversial PR and lobbying firm SHAC Communications over alleged unpaid debts.

The company run by Simone Holzapfel, whose clients have included casino proponents ASF Group, Sunland, Rheem, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and six candidates in the Gold Coast City Council elections, has been struggling for several months.

The amount of the alleged Federal debt has not yet been publicised and a hearing into the wind-up action has been set down for the Federal Court at Brisbane on August 31.

Meanwhile, more details have emerged about the involvement of the embattled political lobbyist in a campaign to build the new Tweed Hospital on a development site owned by billionaire Bob Ell.

“STOP PICKING ON SIMONE”: ELL

A screenshot of the Support Kings Forest Hospital website.

Mr Ell, who court documents show loaned $1.2 million to Ms Holzapfel and her developer husband, is one of three powerful people the couple have called on for help as she and her developer husband Matt Robinson battle multiple court cases and financial struggles which have enveloped several of their companies.

Along with Mr Ell, Mayor Tom Tate and Sydney developer Jim Byrnes have also chipped in to help the couple out.

Legal action by Ms Holzapfel and Mr Robinson is being bankrolled by Mr Byrnes, the twice-bankrupt former financial adviser of Alan Bond.

Mr Byrnes was named a person of interest at a coronial inquest into the death of a young man charged over an explosive 1997 arson attack on a home Mr Byrnes was in the process of buying.

The inquest found there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone over the death of Gibson, and Mr Byrnes denied involvement.

The Mayor put deposits on two properties part-owned by Mr Robinson and Mr Byrnes so the couple could repay part of the debt to Mr Ell.

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Simone Holzapfel and her husband Matt Robinson. Photo: Supplied

Mr Ell’s Leda Holdings plans to build 4500 homes at its Kings Forest estate and has pushed hard for the NSW Government to change its decision to build the new Tweed Hospital at Cudgen and to move it to his development instead.

Kingscliff real estate agent Louise Beahan told the Bulletin Leda had provided funding for a Kings Forest Hospital campaign, for which Shac created a website, social media accounts, signage and advertisements.

The Bulletin can also reveal Ms Holzapfel drove journalists covering the NSW Government decision on the Tweed Hospital around the Kings Forest development site on behalf of Bob Ell on May 31.

Neither Shac nor Ms Holzapfel are registered to lobby for Leda or Mr Ell in New South Wales, and Ms Holzapfel has denied her work constituted lobbying.

“I have not, nor has any representative of Shac had any contact with any member of the NSW Government on any matter in the past six months,” she said via email this week.

MY FINANCIAL PROBLEMS THE BULLETIN’S FAULT: HOLZAPFEL

Matt Robinson and Simone Holzapfel's Gleneagle home, which is the subject of court action by a mortgagee. Photo: Supplied

Leda’s registered lobbyist in NSW is Willard Public Affairs, a company which shares a Sydney address with Shac Communications and is run by Ms Holzapfel’s long-time Liberal Party ally David Miles.

Mr Miles said Ms Holzapfel had rented a desk in his office up until early 2016, but had no ongoing association with the firm.

The New South Wales Electoral Commission said it could not comment on specific compliance matters.

Shac previously failed in 2013, collapsing with debts of $437,000 after its name had been changed to Coolabird.

In mid-2013, as her company was failing, Ms Holzapfel donated $114,000 in 12 payments to Federal MP’s Stuart Robert’s “Fadden Forum’’ ahead of the federal election.

The current company, Shac Communications, was created with Ms Holzapfel as sole director and shareholder in 2012.

The latest iteration of Shac scaled down its operations earlier this year, moving from larger premises at Bundall and losing the bulk of its staff.

It was sharing office space at Mariners Cove, owned by Shac client Sunland, with another of the couple’s companies Robinson Prospect, which was deregistered by ASIC on July 8.

The office of Shac Communications and Robinson Prospect at Mariners Cove. Photo: Supplied

Ms Holzapfel, who has worked as an adviser to Mayor Tom Tate and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, last month denied the company was failing, but conceded it had “some creditors that have got bills that are being paid”.

This week she did not answer a question about the company’s status.