Right up until the last day, they were still promising refunds were just around the corner
When a company collapses with 21 cents in its account, it leaves behind more than unpaid debts — it leaves a question about who bears the cost of trust misplaced. Fifteen thousand Australians who bought tickets to hear Candace Owens speak in 2024 will not recover their money after promoter Rocksman entered liquidation having spent an estimated $1.4 million in revenue, with no insurance and no contingency. The tour never took place, a visa refusal and a failed court challenge having already sealed its fate, yet promises of refunds were made until the very end. What remains is a liquidator's report, a list of potential breaches, and no funds with which to pursue them.
- Fifteen thousand ticket holders paid between $95 and $1,500 each and will receive nothing — the promoter's bank account held just 21 cents when it collapsed.
- Owens herself was left hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket after Rocksman promised to cover her high court visa battle and then couldn't pay the legal bills.
- Promises of imminent refunds were made repeatedly by Rocksman right up until liquidation was announced — not by the company, but by a journalist.
- The liquidator identified $385,000 in potentially recoverable director-related transactions and possible Corporations Act breaches, but there is no money to pursue legal action.
- The organizers behind the tour have a documented history of collapsed ventures, delayed refunds, and visa-derailed speaking tours — a pattern that went unexamined until the damage was done.
In December, promoter Rocksman entered liquidation with 21 cents in its bank account, having already collected at least $1.4 million from 15,000 Australians who bought tickets to see conservative commentator Candace Owens speak. None of them will see their money back.
The tour was scheduled for 2024, but the Australian government refused Owens a visa, citing her capacity to incite discord. Owens and her promoters challenged the decision in court — a battle the government had already won in October. Rocksman told ticket holders that refunds would follow once the legal fight concluded. The fight failed. The refunds never came. Owens' own team says the company kept making assurances right up until the end, and that they learned of the liquidation not from Rocksman, but from a journalist. Owens is now hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket in legal fees and loans.
Liquidator David Sampson's statutory report revealed a company with no insurance, no contingency planning, and no money remaining. Debts exceeded $760,000 across employees, ticket holders, and other creditors. Sampson identified $385,000 in potentially recoverable director-related transactions and flagged possible Corporations Act breaches — including trading while insolvent and failure to maintain proper financial records — but there are no funds to pursue legal action.
The tour was organised by George Zacharia, Damien Costas, and Joel Jammal of Turning Point Australia, three men with a history in right-wing speaking events marked by collapsed companies and delayed refunds. A 2023 Donald Trump Jr. tour they organised sold 8,000 tickets, was repeatedly delayed, and eventually cancelled, with most refunds taking nearly a year. Costas, who owned the payments merchant processing ticket sales, declined to comment. Jammal said he relied on Rocksman's assurances and characterised Turning Point's role as limited to sponsorship.
The tour's main sponsor, bullion dealer As Good As Gold, is also owed $80,000. Co-director Jarrad Panes put the question plainly: "What have you done with all of this money?" It is a question that, for now, has no answer — and no mechanism to compel one.
In December, a company called Rocksman entered liquidation with 21 cents in its bank account. By then, it had already collected at least $1.4 million from 15,000 Australians who had bought tickets to see conservative commentator Candace Owens speak. None of them will see their money again.
Owens herself is hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket. Her team says Rocksman promised to cover the legal costs of fighting her visa refusal at Australia's high court—a battle the government had already won in October, citing her capacity to incite discord. When Owens' lawyers sent their bills, Rocksman couldn't pay. Her spokesperson says the company kept making promises right up until the end, assuring them refunds were imminent, that everything would be fine. Then came the news of liquidation, delivered not by Rocksman but by a journalist.
The tour itself never happened. It was supposed to take place in 2024, but the Australian government had already refused Owens a visa. She and her promoters decided to challenge the decision in court. Rocksman, the company handling ticket sales and logistics, told everyone refunds would come once the legal fight was over. That fight failed. The refunds never materialized. Instead, the company collapsed.
Rocksman's liquidator, David Sampson, filed a statutory report in March showing the company had no insurance, no contingency plan, and no money left. It had spent everything. The sole director and shareholder, George Zacharia, did not respond to requests for comment, though accounting records show the company owed him at least $24,000 in unpaid leave entitlements when it folded. Sampson's investigation identified debts exceeding $760,000 to employees, ticket holders, and other creditors. He also flagged $385,000 in transactions that appeared to be director-related and potentially recoverable—but there's no money to pursue legal action.
The tour was arranged by three men with a history in rightwing speaking events: Zacharia, Damien Costas, and Joel Jammal, head of Turning Point Australia. Costas had previously published Penthouse magazine through companies that collapsed into liquidation. He organized tours for Milo Yiannopoulos and Nigel Farage, though one venture failed when visa issues derailed speakers including Gavin McInnes and Tommy Robinson. Jammal and Costas launched Turning Point Australia in 2022 with another Farage tour. A 2023 Donald Trump Jr. tour they organized sold 8,000 tickets, was repeatedly delayed, and eventually cancelled—most refunds took nearly a year.
Jammal said he relied on assurances from Rocksman about the company's financial health and was unaware of insolvency issues when he publicly promised refunds. He characterized Turning Point's role as limited to sponsorship and promotion. Costas declined to comment. Both men denied involvement in Rocksman's financial management, though business records show Costas owned the payments merchant processing ticket sales.
The tour's main sponsor, bullion dealer As Good As Gold, is also owed money. Co-director Jarrad Panes said Rocksman promised to refund their $80,000 sponsorship in 2025. It never came. "It's like, what have you done with all of this money?" he asked.
Sampson's report indicated Rocksman may have traded while insolvent and breached the Corporations Act by failing to maintain proper financial records. He advised the corporate regulator of these breaches. But without funds, there is no mechanism to recover what was lost or to pursue the potentially recoverable transactions he identified. The 15,000 ticket holders—who paid between $95 and $1,500 each—and everyone else owed money will have to accept that the money is simply gone.
Citas Notables
Candace's team ended up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills, as well as providing numerous loans to Rocksman to make refunds before it became apparent that their assurances were meaningless.— Owens' spokesperson
It's like, what have you done with all of this money?— Jarrad Panes, co-director of As Good As Gold, Rocksman's main sponsor
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
How does a company collect $1.4 million and end up with 21 cents?
By spending it all before the tour ever happened. Rocksman had no insurance, no buffer, no plan for what would happen if the visa fight failed. They spent money as it came in, apparently without tracking where it went.
Did anyone try to stop this before it collapsed?
The liquidator found evidence the company may have been insolvent for months before it formally entered liquidation. But by then, the money was already gone. Owens' team kept asking for refunds and got promises instead of answers.
What about the people who organized this? Costas, Jammal, Zacharia—did they face consequences?
Zacharia hasn't responded to any questions. Jammal says he relied on assurances from Rocksman and didn't know about financial problems. Costas declined to comment. The liquidator flagged $385,000 in potentially recoverable director-related transactions, but there's no money left to pursue legal action.
So the 15,000 ticket holders just lose everything?
Yes. No insurance, no assets, no recovery mechanism. The liquidator identified breaches of the Corporations Act, but that doesn't put money back in anyone's pocket.
Is this a pattern with these promoters?
Costas has organized multiple tours that either failed or faced serious delays. The Trump Jr. tour sold 8,000 tickets, was delayed for nearly a year, and eventually cancelled. This isn't the first time.
What happens now?
The liquidator will continue investigating those director-related transactions, but without funds to pursue claims, creditors are unlikely to recover anything. The 15,000 people who bought tickets are out of luck.