Fresh hope for Celeste Barber's $50m charity haul – law could be changed to allow it to go to bushfire victims as intended
- Greens put forward bill to allow bushfire relief funds go to victims
- Celeste Barber's $51million fundraiser hit a roadblock due to legal issues
- Money can currently only go to fire fighting equipment, operations and supplies
Laws could soon be changed to ensure Celeste Barber's $51million bushfire relief fund goes to the victims who need it most.
Under current law, funds donated to the New South Wales fire authorities must be spent on equipment, operations and supplies.
The Greens have put forward a bill in state parliament to amend the Rural Fires Act to allow donations received from November 1, 2019 to February 1, 2020 to go toward their intended cause - in Celeste Barber's case, that is bushfire victims across Australia.
'There is no question that the families of any RFS volunteer who was killed on duty should be eligible for support and assistance from these funds,' Greens MP David Shoebridge said.
Laws could soon be changed to ensure Celeste Barber's $51million bushfire relief fund goes to the victims who need it most
Greens MP David Shoebridge said they will put forward legislation to amend the Rural Fires Act to allow fund donations received from November 1, 2019 to February 1, 2020 to go toward their intended cause
'The extraordinary generosity of ordinary Australians needs to be matched by some common-sense politics.'
The record number of donations for the Rural Fires Trust was co-ordinated by comedian Barber via social media, and saw more than one million people worldwide contribute to the cause.
Share this article
The 37-year-old launched her NSW RFS bushfire fundraiser in January, with the goal of raising just $30,000, with her concerns sparked when her family home was threatened in Eden on the NSW south coast.
The campaign became the largest ever fundraiser in Facebook's history, finishing with more than $51million donated from more than 1.3million people.
Funds were donated to the NSW RFS Donations Trust account, who legally can't give the funds to other charities. Pictured: firefighters tackle a blaze in Bilpin, west of Sydney, New South Wales)
Ms Barber hosted the Fire Fight Australia concert after the incredible success of her fundraiser
Ms Barber's fundraiser was initially aimed at supporting the NSW RFS, but once the incredible amount of money started rolling in, she decided to broaden the fundraiser to support other states affected by the bushfires.
However, legal issues arose because the money was being donated to the NSW RFS Donations Trust account, who by law cannot forward the funds to other charities.
Barber has indicated she will bring an application to the NSW Supreme Court to attempt to fix the issue.
The RFS has previously said it wants to distribute the money in line with Barber's wishes but isn't confident it can legally be done.
