ASIC documents show that Armstrong registered ‘Standard Publishing NSW Pty Ltd’ as a business on 16 September, the same day that SPH entered voluntary liquidation with SV Partners.

“There was a company registered, but I won’t be proceeding with it,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong cited “personal reasons” as being behind his decision not to proceed with the new venture.

He also admitted that some staff wages and entitlements had gone unpaid in the lead-up to SPH’s collapse.

“Yes, there were shortfalls, but the reasons for the shortfalls are part of the liquidation investigation and I can’t say any more than that,” he said.

Armstrong said he would provide “full and open access” to SV Partners throughout their investigation.

Former SPH employees told ProPrint they have missed out on up to nine weeks of holiday pay and two weeks’ wages, as well as superannuation payments and redundancy pay.

These employees will now go through the Federal government’s GEERS program. One unnamed worker told ProPrint he wasn’t holding out much hope of seeing anything from the liquidation.

“We’ve essentially become creditors of the company, but there’s nothing there.”

Armstrong also told ProPrint that it was SPH’s dispute with PKF over its Strathfield headquarters that was the “principal issue” behind the company entering voluntary liquidation.

“That was basically the start of the end,” he said.

“It’s hard to run a printing company when you’re not able to operate on the premises.”

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