Delayed meeting leaves New Chapters, New Beginnings’ future undecided
A major Top End NDIS provider’s future is yet to be decided after pivotal discussions were delayed. We reveal when the critical meeting could take place.
Business
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A Top End disability service provider’s future remains uncertain after a pivotal meeting was dealyed.
New Chapters, New Beginnings creditors were due to meet on Tuesday but many were unable to attend due to the new year.
Administrator Melanie Grohovaz said the meeting was adjourned for up to 15 business days, but she hopes to reschedule for next week.
The EMJ Consulting director, Ms Grohovaz said she took on the organisation’s administration role on November 27 after clients started fleeing the provider, raising concerns about its solvency.
Ms Grohovaz said former managing director Andrea Cooper’s role with the provider was terminated in early December because it “did not see that her involvement was beneficial”.
The EMJ Consulting director, Ms Grohovaz said she took on the role on November 27 after clients started fleeing the provider, raising concerns about its solvency.
“It, for some reason, lost a lot of participants over the last two years,” she said.
“Andrea is no longer involved.
“The company is continuing to trade, the creditors have an opportunity to approve a restructure which will ensure that the company continues to trade and participants are not impacted.”
Ms Grohovaz said the company was scheduled for a second meeting of creditors on Tuesday to consider proposals “to get a better return than a liquidation”.
The New Chapters, New Beginnings Facebook page recently changed its name to “closed” and removed branding, while its Instagram has gone private.
As recently as September 2021 the disability provider was celebrating its expansion to Western Australia.
Ms Cooper spoke at the WA Leaders conference in November — right before the provider went into administration.
It comes as the National Disability Insurance Scheme issued a 30-day banning order for Ms Cooper on December 13, effective from 5pm on December 16.
According to the NDIS provider register, Ms Cooper was banned due to the “immediate danger to the health, safety or wellbeing of a person with disability”.
A video of Ms Cooper’s alleged questionable behaviour at a Christmas party has circulated on Facebook in which she can be seen licking the face of a man.
Ms Cooper said she was not sure why she had been banned by the NDIS, and she had attempted to overturn the decision.
“When I tried to contact the (disability) commission my calls were not responded to,” she said.
“My email response to them was not even replied to.
“I have not done anything wrong to have received a ban.”
Ms Cooper said she refuted the claims from the new administrator.
“Melanie has no right to comment on me or my company,” she said.
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