Court documents reveal company owned by Simone Holzapfel and husband Matt Robinson owes $27k to local business and $22k in rates

SUPREME Court documents have revealed how much a company — owned by a prominent Liberal lobbyist and her husband — owe to local business and council.

Simone Holzapfel and her husband Matt Robinson. Photo: Supplied

SUPREME Court documents reveal a company owned by a prominent Liberal lobbyist and her husband owes $27,000 to a local business and also has unpaid rates of $22,000.

As revealed in Saturday’s Gold Coast Bulletin, several companies linked to Simone Holzapfel, and her husband Matthew Robinson, are suffering financial difficulties, affecting a multimillion-dollar housing development and leaving their directors scrambling to clear debts on the Gold Coast.

Simone Holzapfel and her husband Matt Robinson. Photo: Supplied

With Mr Robinson, Ms Holzapfel owns Horseshoe Properties, which ASIC records show is in external administration after a creditor took them to court over an unpaid debt.

Court documents for the case say Horseshoe also has three previous court judgments between 2014 and 2017 for unpaid rates to Tweed Shire Council totalling $22,265.

The documents include a credit risk report describing the company’s financial status as “critical”, saying its chance of failure in the next 12 months was 71.81 per cent and that “trading eligibility must be considered”.

The documents say Horseshoe Properties had failed to pay $27,652.31 to Nerang business Envirosphere after being ordered to pay that amount by Southport Magistrates Court on March 14.

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Lobbyist Simone Holzapfel arrives for a hearing at the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) in Brisbane, Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

However, Mr Robinson, 53, yesterday said their development, Huonbrook Estate at Terranora on the southern Tweed, was still on track and that a private financier had agreed to bail them out.

“We’re progressing very well and it’s probably going to settle ahead of time,” he said.

“I expect to be back on site within two weeks.”

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Huonbrook Estate is being developed by another of Mr Robinson’s companies, Robinson Prospect, while Horseshoe Properties owns the land.

Mr Robinson said the trouble had started with a contractor who made a costly error, which he said he would pursue through the legal system.

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

The court action against Horseshoe Properties was brought by Southport company Envirosphere, which had won an earlier default judgment on March 14, ordering the company pay a debt of $27,652.31.

The case was scheduled to be heard on Monday but was adjourned to July 9.

Mr Robinson said he was confident the Envirosphere court action would be resolved without his company being forced into liquidation.

“Horseshoe is not doing anything wrong, it’s trying to fix the problems,” he said.

“Every creditor has been contacted, or at least acknowledged.

“It has progressed substantially.”

Envirosphere director Steven Towner declined to comment on the case.

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Simone Holzapfel and her husband Matt Robinson. Photo: Supplied

Ms Holzapfel, 43, last week confirmed her PR and lobbying company Shac Communications also had “some creditors that have got bills that are being paid”, while another of her entities, Amalfi Invest, is subject to strike-off action by ASIC.

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Amalfi Invest is the registered owner of the couple’s property at Gleneagle near Beaudesert, where they were married a year ago.

That property, on the Mt Lindesay Highway, was advertised for sale by mortgagee in April, but has been taken off the market as the owners have disputed the mortgage default.

Ms Holzapfel last week said she was yet to pay all the suppliers for the wedding — but Mr Robinson said he would fix up the last outstanding bill, for a lighting supplier, yesterday.