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A person was considered insolvent when unable to meet their debts in full. Supreme Court hearings established that the debt outweighed the insolvent person's estate, and heard creditors' claims. In 1928, responsibility for insolvency cases was passed to the Commonwealth Government.

What do I need to know before I start?

In many cases, knowing the name of the debtor is enough. However, for most cases you’ll need to know the approximate year the action was initiated in either the Supreme Court, Insolvency Court in Melbourne or a regional court. If the case was heard in a regional court, you'll need to know its location.

If the case was not heard in Melbourne, select the "Search for regional records" option.

If the case was heard in Melbourne between 1842 and 1871, you can initially try "Search for records by name or number (1842-1871)" below. If that search is unsuccessful, try the "Use indexes to find a case number (1842-1871)" option.

If the case was heard in Melbourne between 1871 and 1928, select the "Use indexes to find a case number (1871-1928)" option.

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(Years 1842-1871) Record Series 759, 762, 765 and 10246
Multiple records series