Dear PrudenceWell I agree with you in a couple of areas, yes, it...

Dear Prudence
Well I agree with you in a couple of areas, yes, it would be dangerous to transfer your shares to another party in order to avoid the second installment, sound legal advice should be sought, perhaps the Australian Shareholders Association could help with this. Secondly, it is unlikely that Macguarie would be greatly concerned about the cost of retrieving money owed by hapless small investors(myself included)who have become caught up in this mess.
However, to blame posters on HC and others for the collapse in the share price is just not on,that responsability goes to Macquarie for dumping ALL of their shares on the market to be sold at any price. In doing so they have effectivly pulled the rug out from under existing shareholders whether they bought on the prospectus or were only in for a quick trade, this includes institutional holders who must be sorely pissed at Macquaries action. To say that the goal posts have been shifted would be an understatement, they have effectively removed them entirely, leaving us all out on the field with no-where to kick the ball, which has become a time bomb set to blow up in our faces in mid April. If the true value is around 30cents, then why aren't people and institutions buying at .001?
Yes, it would be "amatuerish" to Invest in shares without reading the prospectus, traders though are not in it for the long term, they rely on liquidity and technical analysis,and we all should have been warned of the liability involved in purchasing these shares, brokers are admitting this in hindsight,where else can you get yourself hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, with the click of a mouse, and no signed documentation.
I know I am not alone in my genuine fear in where this is heading, I for one would lose my home. Let's hope that those responsible for setting this up (Qld Gov included) realize that it has all come horribly undone and take some positive steps to fix it, before it is too late. I doubt that any of the existing shareholders would voluntarily front up with the next dollar, let alone the one after.