Mr Cooper said the trust was still working on ways it could...

Mr Cooper said the trust was still working on ways it could become more independent of Centro Properties Group, which holds 51 per cent of Centro Retail Group, and was itself struggling under a debt refinancing burden.

"The process of achieving independence for the trust from Centro is not simple, and it must be understood that the trust's immediate future is interlinked with that of the Centro Group, particularly where financing is concerned," Mr Cooper said.

"It is nevertheless important that we position the trust to be as independent as possible from the Centro Group as soon as possible."