The Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) has terminated the registration of C&N Southwest Sydney Pty Ltd (the Company) for serious breaches of the Code of Professional Conduct and ceasing to meet registration requirements.

The TPB’s investigation found that the Company’s director, Elle Ristevski, and de facto and shadow director, Peter Ristevski, had ceased to be fit and proper persons. The Company, under the influence of its directors, had breached 12 separate provisions in the Code of Professional Conduct.

The TPB’s investigation uncovered evidence that the Company had:

• provided false or misleading information to the TPB during the course of its investigations
• provided false or misleading information to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to support clients in appointing ‘straw directors’ and to engage in conduct similar to creditor defeating dispositions and phoenix-like behaviour
• allowed client refunds to be co-mingled with business and personal expenses, and to be disbursed into an account which the listed director and supervising agent had no control over
• allowed Peter Ristevski, a disqualified entity, to provide tax agent services through an arrangement.

The TPB considered the conduct of the Company and its directors to be extremely serious and imposed the maximum non-application period of 5 years on the Company.

TPB Chair, Peter de Cure AM, said ‘The TPB is committed to protecting consumers and maintaining confidence in the tax profession by focusing on high-risk individuals whose conduct poses a risk to the community, the profession and the integrity of the tax system.’ 

Mr de Cure went on to say ‘the vast majority of registered tax practitioners comply with their professional obligations and support their clients to meet their personal obligations under taxation and corporate law. Tax practitioners who attempt to support clients to evade their obligations will be identified, investigated and sanctioned.’

The TPB has previously taken action in relation to Peter Ristevski and published information about his contraventions of the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 in a media release dated 1 June 2026.

The TPB works to ensure tax practitioners meet and maintain appropriate professional and ethical standards, helping protect consumers and support confidence in the integrity of the tax profession and tax system. Where serious misconduct occurs, the TPB will take appropriate regulatory action to uphold those standards and reduce the risk of harm to consumers and the community.

The TPB encourages tax practitioners and consumers to:

• report any suspected unregistered preparers to the TPB
• confirm a tax practitioner is registered for the services they provide before sharing personal information
• be cautious of individuals offering unusually low-cost or informal tax services
• check the TPB Register before engaging a tax practitioner.