icare seeks to wind up three NSW trade firms, hearings 26-27 Oct

The Workers Compensation Nominal Insurer, the entity icare acts for, has applied to the Supreme Court of NSW to wind up three NSW trade businesses: F & S Formwork Pty Ltd, Shin Contractors Pty Ltd and Pro-Group Kitchens & Wardrobes Design Pty Ltd. Hearings are set for 26 and 27 October 2026.

These are applications, not findings. None of the three companies has been wound up on the strength of these notices, and each can appear and contest.

Why it matters

A winding-up application from the Nominal Insurer is a different animal to a trade creditor chasing an invoice. icare manages the Nominal Insurer, which provides workers compensation cover to most NSW employers. The grounds in these three matters are for the court to test.

For a builder or head contractor, the practical issue is exposure on site. A formwork crew, a contractor or a joinery supplier that is placed in liquidation can stop work mid-programme, and the liquidator takes control of its books and contracts. Principals typically want to know now whether those firms are on their projects and whether the workers on site are covered.

The three applications also share a legal team. All were filed through Hall & Wilcox, Sydney, which is the plaintiff’s address for service on each notice.

The numbers

• F & S Formwork Pty Ltd (ACN 683 935 042): application commenced 22 September 2026. Heard at 9:00 am on 27 October 2026, Supreme Court of NSW, Law Courts Building, Queens Square, Sydney. Action number 2026/00392842. Notice dated 13 October.
• Shin Contractors Pty Ltd (ACN 621 184 861): commenced 22 September 2026. Heard at 9:00 am on 27 October 2026, same court. Action number 2026/00392777. Notice dated 12 October.
• Pro-Group Kitchens & Wardrobes Design Pty Ltd (ACN 643 303 477): commenced 22 September 2026. Heard at 9:00 am on 26 October 2026, same court. Action number 2026/00392769. Notice dated 12 October.

Any party intending to appear must file a notice of appearance and serve it on the plaintiff at least three days before the hearing. The notice must come with any affidavit the party intends to rely on, and service is at Hall & Wilcox, Level 18, 347 Kent Street, Sydney.

All three action numbers sit within a narrow run, from 2026/00392769 to 2026/00392842, and all three matters were commenced on the same day. That points to a single batch of filings by the Nominal Insurer rather than three separate disputes arising at different times.

What’s next

On 26 and 27 October the court can make a winding-up order, adjourn, or dismiss an application, for example if the debt is paid or disputed. If an order is made, a liquidator is appointed and creditors, including subcontractors and suppliers, are asked to lodge claims.

Head contractors should check their subcontractor registers against the three ACNs above and confirm insurance cover for anyone on site. Subbies owed money by any of the three companies should note the hearing dates, since creditor positions are set once a liquidator is in place.

We will update this story if a court order is published. For the wider picture on Sydney projects and the trades that build them, see the Sydney market hub.