A far-right American commentator claims she has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars following a botched Australian tour, with ticket holders unlikely to receive refunds.
Visa Denials and Tour Collapse
Candace Owens originally planned to tour Australia in November 2024 but was refused a visa after the government determined she had the 'capacity to incite discord'. A second attempt in March 2025 also failed, and the High Court upheld the visa denial in October 2025.
Since then, thousands of Owens' fans have been left wondering about refunds. A report filed with ASIC on March 3 revealed the answer: probably never.
Promoter's Financial Ruin
Tour promoter Rocksman collapsed with just 21 cents in its bank account, lacking funds to recover money owed. Liquidator David Sampson stated the company cannot issue refunds because it had no insurance for cancellation and had already spent ticket sale proceeds.
Owens claimed she also lost significant money after being misled by Rocksman. Her spokesperson said the promoter promised to cover legal costs for challenging the visa rejection in the High Court.
'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 said.
Owens' team only learned of Rocksman's liquidation through media reports in January. 'Right up until the last day, they were still promising us that refunds were just around the corner,' they added.
Key Figures and Sponsors
Liquidator reports identify Rocksman's sole director and shareholder as George Zacharia. A major sponsor, Turning Point Australia—an arm of the late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk's US group—is headed by Joel Jammal.
Jammal estimated about 15,000 tickets were sold for Owens' tour, priced from $95 to $1,500 for VIP packages. Bullion dealer As Good As Gold, the main sponsor, claims it is owed $80,000.
Co-director Jarrad Panes said Rocksman had promised to refund the sponsorship after cancellation. 'It's like, what have you done with all of this money?' Panes questioned.
Ongoing Investigations
Rocksman director Zacharia and Turning Point Australia head Jammal also worked with Damien Costas, former publisher of Penthouse Australia, to organise the tour. Costas previously managed tours for right-wing figures Milo Yiannopoulos and Nigel Farage, and helped establish Turning Point Australia.
Neither Costas nor Jammal have business responsibility for Rocksman. Zacharia donated to Turning Point Australia's 2023 NSW election campaign, which Jammal said is unrelated to the tour situation.
Jammal previously told ticket holders they would be refunded after the High Court verdict, but later clarified he was unaware of Rocksman's financial troubles.
Preliminary investigations suggest Rocksman may have continued trading while insolvent. The company owes over $760,000, including to ticket holders and employees. Liquidators also identified $385,000 in transactions that could be 'unreasonable director-related transactions'. The investigation continues.
