Court rules the $51million raised for Celeste Barber’s bushfire fund CAN’T be given to other charities
The $51million raised by comedian Celeste Barber’s bushfire relief campaign cannot be distributed to other charities, but can be given to injured firefighters, a Supreme Court judge has ruled.
‘The trustees have submitted to the court that they wish to honour the intentions and beliefs of Ms Barber,’ Supreme Court Justice Michael Slattery said on Monday.
‘But they wish to do so consistently with the trustee and in accordance with applicable law.’
The money had been sitting in legal limbo since Barber in January launched the ‘Please help anyway you can. This is terrifying’ appeal on Facebook.
She nominated the NSW RFS as the beneficiary of the campaign and set a funding target of $30,000.
Barber – who boasts 7.1 million followers on Instagram – raised $51.3 million, the largest charity drive in Facebook’s history.
After far exceeding her fundraising goal, she subsequently stated on social media that the money would also be distributed to rural fire services from other states, including Victoria and South Australia, victims of the summer bushfire crisis as well as wildlife funds.
More to come.