By JESSE GRAHAM
A CLASS action lawsuit by survivors of the Black Saturday bushfires reached its end today, with the Supreme Court approving a $300 million settlement for the Murrindindi fires.
The approval ends the class action suit against AusNet Services (formerly SP AusNet), for the Murrindindi-Marysville fires, and brings the total class action settlements for the fires to a total of $794 million.
Lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, Marysville’s Dr Katherine Rowe, said she hoped the compensation through the settlement would help the survivors of the 2009 fires, which killed 173 people.
“I truly hope that the compensation we have been able to secure today will help all those people still trying to rebuild, and that it lessens the ongoing burden somewhat for people, although it can never fully account for what we’ve gone through and lost,” she said.
The Murrindindi class action, run by Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, alleged that AusNet Services had faulty infrastructure, among other claims against maintenance contractor UAM and State parties – the settlement means there is no admission of liability from the parties in regards to the fire.
The settlement was announced earlier in the year, on the first day of court proceedings.
The Kilmore East-Kinglake Black Saturday bushfire class action lawsuit was settled for $494 million in December last year.
For the full story, see next week’s Mail.
