Candace Owens' cancelled Australian tour has turned into a financial disaster for 15,000 ticket holders.
None of the Australians who purchased tickets for the conservative pundit's 2024 speaking tour are expected to receive refunds after the promoter behind the events, Rocksman, reportedly went under with only 21 Australian cents left in its bank account, according to The Guardian.
The company entered liquidation in December after spending all available funds, leaving customers, sponsors and Owens herself among those reportedly owed money.
The tour was derailed after the Australian government refused Owens a visa on the grounds that she had the "capacity to incite discord," a decision later upheld by the high court in October.
Joel Jammal, whose organisation sponsored the tour, estimated that about 15,000 tickets had been sold, suggesting at least $1.4 million had been collected before the company went under.
Liquidator David Sampson's statutory report, filed with Asic on 3 March, said refunds were impossible because Rocksman had no insurance covering the cancellation and had exhausted its money. The report identified a man named George Zacharia as the company's sole director and shareholder.
A spokesperson for Owens told The Guardian, “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.”
The spokesperson added, “Right up until the last day, they were still promising us that refunds were just around the corner.”
The Guardian also reported that gold dealer As Good As Gold, a sponsor of the tour, claims it is owed $80,000. Co-director Jarrad Panes said Rocksman had promised repayment in 2025, but the money never arrived.
"It's like, what have you done with all of this money?" Panes said.
Tickets for Candace Owens’ cancelled Australia tour reportedly ranged from $95 to $1,500 for VIP packages.
