Miss Universe Australia‘s parents involved in $45m company collapse scandal

She earned the title of Miss Universe Australia but just a week later, it emerged that her parents were linked to a $45 million scandal involving a string of collapsed companies.

Australia’s top model is the daughter of two former directors who left behind a $45 million trail of debt when their companies collapsed.

Last week, Melbourne-based Moraya Wilson earned the title of Miss Universe Australia at a national beauty pageant event.

But as the spotlight turned her way, her family’s tumultuous financial history was also unearthed.

Ms Wilson, 22, made references to recent family hardships but failed to mention that companies linked to her mother and father had left devastated creditors owed $45 million after their failed property development ventures.

Last year, Australia’s corporate regulator ASIC disqualified her parents, Anton and Melinda Wilson, from running any business for the next five years, over their involvement in nine failed companies between them.

“The total amount owed to creditors across all companies is estimated to be more than $45 million, of which approximately $21 million is owed to the ATO,” ASIC said at the time of the disqualification.

It has since emerged that the young Ms Wilson is also in ASIC’s crosshairs, as she herself is the sole director of 10 companies, of which the regulator is seeking to have struck off the business register.

Moraya Wilson was crowned Miss Universe Australia last week.

Her parents have had a tumultuous financial history.

According to ASIC, Moraya Wilson is the sole director and shareholder of 10 separate entities in the construction and hospitality industry.

The corporate regulator is taking action against the 22-year-old by trying to deregister all those companies.

In the middle of August, a notice appeared for one of the companies, which reads: “ASIC proposes to deregister the Company under section 601AB.

“ASIC may deregister the Company when two months have passed since publication of this notice.”

News.com.au has contacted Ms Wilson for comment.

An ASIC spokesperson told news.com.au that while the reasons for a strike-off action were not shared with the public, “it usually relates to non payment of fees”.

That includes if the company did not pay its annual fees, did not respond to a compliance notice, did not lodge any documents for 18 months or if “we think it‘s not in business”, according to ASIC.

When The Age attempted to contact Ms Wilson for comment, a person with knowledge of the matter claimed she was unaware of her role as director of multiple companies.

“Moraya has absolutely nothing to do with this. She’s a kid. She only found out about these companies when you messaged her,” they told the publication.

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The woman is 22 years old.

An insider claims the model had no knowledge about the 10 companies.

Ms Wilson’s parents also have a history with ASIC.

In March last year, ASIC announced that both Anton and Melinda Wilson had been suspended from operating their own corporation until February 2027.

Anton was the director of nine failed firms, while of those, his wife Melinda was also co-director of five of them.

Most of the companies were in the building industry but one of them was in project management and consulting.

Anton was also accused of operating several businesses even though at the time he was disqualified from managing corporations because he was an “undischarged bankrupt”.

ASIC said continuing to operate these business amounted to “serious misconduct”.

Originally published as Miss Universe Australia‘s parents involved in $45m company collapse scandal