PRESS RELEASE: Lawnch MD Tammi McDermott Warns of a ‘Liquidity Lockdown’ as Global Conflict Hits South East Queensland Business Confidence

MEDIA SUMMARY:
Lawnch Director Tammi McDermott warns that South East Queensland’s mid-market sector is entering a “strategic pause,” as geopolitical conflict in Iran and global fuel instability trigger a liquidity lockdown across regional M&A and supply chains. While capital remains available, venture pulse and private equity deployment are stalling due to an inability to forecast delivery costs and a “perfect storm” of looming regulatory burdens, including the 1 July 2026 Payday Super mandate and new AML/CTF compliance requirements – leading to a regional solvency crisis.

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MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 30th March 2026

HEADLINE: Lawnch MD Tammi McDermott Warns of a ‘Liquidity Lockdown’ as Global Conflict Hits South East Queensland Business Confidence
Gold Coast, Queensland – South East Queensland’s mid-market business sector has entered a period of “Strategic Caution,” as ongoing conflict in Iran and the resulting global fuel instability begin to stall M&A activity and strain local supply chains.

Tammi McDermott, Managing Director of fast-growing legal and corporate advisory firm Lawnch, reports that while the regional economy remains fundamentally resilient, a “perfect storm” of regulatory burden and logistical uncertainty is forcing a widespread pause on high-level business decisions.

As fuel security concerns escalate, South East Queensland businesses – ranging from manufacturing hubs in Logan, export businesses in the Port of Brisbane and professional services on the Gold Coast – are facing an immediate cashflow crisis.

“What we are seeing on the ground is a unavoidable economic pause,” said Ms McDermott.

“Business infrastructure relies entirely on the certainty of transport. Whether you are a goods-based business reliant on the Port of Brisbane or a service-based firm managing collaborative resourcing, the inability to forecast delivery costs is paralysing. There is a real fear that the lack of fuel will lead to a total distribution failure and right now, the market is pricing in that uncertainty by hitting the ‘pause’ button on deals.”

Despite the cautious climate, McDermott notes a paradoxical trend in the Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC) sectors; there is an oversupply of activity but a narrowing window for deployment.

“VCs and investors are currently heading back to their boards to restructure their deployment thresholds,” McDermott explains.

“We have a situation where capital is ready, but the criteria; such as specific EBITDA profiles combined with numerous other factors including business location and corporate social responsibility requirements are becoming harder to meet. Investors are nervous; why buy a business today if you can’t guarantee its ability to operate or distribute goods tomorrow?”

These developments are occurring in an environment where new compliance requirements for businesses are providing additional regulation.
These include the convergence of the 1 July 2026 Payday Super (Single Touch Payroll) mandate and new AML/CTF compliance requirements for service based businesses.

“This additional regulatory burden is seeing businesses in the region reach a point of exhaustion,” says McDermott.

“South East Queensland businesses are still recovering from successive floods and cyclones, and now they are being asked to absorb massive cash-flow shocks. While we support the principle of protections for staff super and transparent reporting, these initiatives are occurring during a time of global economic uncertainty and may impact the ability of businesses to remain solvent.”

About Lawnch

Lawnch is a premier boutique legal corporate advisory firm based on the Gold Coast, specialising in all elements of the commercial law lifecycle (from founding to exit), R&D tax incentives, strategic growth, and M&A advisory. Led by Tammi McDermott, Lawnch provides mid-market businesses with the depth of resources and high-level experience required to navigate complex economic cycles and regulatory transitions.
For more information visit lawnch.com.au.
For all media enquiries, images, or interviews, please contact Tammi McDermott e [email protected]
p + 61 411 259 951.