SETTLEMENT FAQs HERE
GENERAL CLASS ACTION FAQs HERE
GORDON LEGAL MEDIA STATEMENT HERE
JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT HERE
A settlement agreement has been achieved in the Robodebt Class Action between the Representative Applicants and the Commonwealth.
The settlement agreement is subject to the approval of the Court.
This settlement agreement means that many Group Members will be entitled to a further settlement payment, in addition to having the money they paid to Centrelink refunded.
Not all Group Members will be entitled to settlement payments.
An individual Group Member's entitlement to a settlement payment will depend on their individual circumstances. We expect the process of approval to be completed in 2021.
Key points
The settlement reached with the Commonwealth of Australia means that if approved by the Court, since the commencement of the Robodebt Class Action, more than $1.2 billion in financial benefit will have been provided to approximately 400,000 group members.
The financial outcome achieved is made up as follows:
- The Commonwealth has agreed to pay $112 million in compensation to approximately 400,000 eligible individual Group Members, including legal costs;
- The Commonwealth is repaying more than $720 million in debts collected from Group Members invalidly and will continue to provide refunds;
- The Commonwealth has agreed to drop claims for approximately $398 million in debts it had invalidly asserted against members of the class action;
- Subject to Court Approval, a Settlement Distribution Scheme will provide that eligible individual Group Members' entitlements will be assessed and all amounts due to them be paid in 2021.
Gordon Legal is proud to have achieved this historic and important result for Group Members.
If the settlement is approved by the Court it will resolve the claims of the hundreds of thousands of people who were issued with automated Centrelink debts.
Please read the new settlement FAQs to learn more about the settlement and to understand how it might affect you.
Court documents
Copies of the court documents are available below:
Opt Out Notice,
Amended Originating Application,
Second Further Amended Statement of Claim,
Amended Reply, Court Orders (6 March),
Court Orders (5 May),
Court Orders (19 June),
Court Orders (27 July 2020),
Court Orders (17 August 2020),
Court Orders (7 September 2020),
Court Orders (17 September 2020),
Court Orders (21 September 2020),
Court Orders (14 October 2020),
Second Further Amended Defence,
Court Orders (23 December 2020),
Deed of Settlement
SETTLEMENT FAQs HERE
GENERAL CLASS ACTION FAQs HERE
GORDON LEGAL MEDIA STATEMENT HERE
JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT HERE