Overview
Litigation Lending is funding this class action brought in the Federal Court by Mr Mervyn Street against the Western Australian Government on behalf of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who weren’t paid all their wages or money between 1936 and 1972.
Case Update
The State of Western Australia (State) has agreed to settle the class action for Stolen Wages, launched by Mervyn Street on behalf of many thousands of Aboriginal Australians who worked in Western Australia and were paid little or no wages, between 1936 and 1972.
As part of the historic class action settlement, the State will pay up to $180.4 million to eligible Aboriginal workers or their surviving spouses and children who register to participate in the settlement by 30 September 2024. The amount to be paid by the State depends on how many people register.
The proposed settlement includes a separate amount of up to $15.4 million for some of the Applicant’s legal costs, and also involved the State delivering a public acknowledgment and apology in the Western Australian Parliament to the surviving and deceased Aboriginal workers on 28 November 2023. Mervyn Street was there to receive the apology.
The settlement is subject to approval by the Federal Court of Australia, which will occur following the registration process currently underway. The Court will decide the exact amount to be received by each Aboriginal worker or their family members who register, but Mr Street intends to ask the Court to make sure that a greater amount is paid to people who worked the longest under the legislation in force from 1936 to 1972.
The Court hearing to decide whether or not to approve the proposed settlement will take place in the Federal Court in Perth on 28 and 29 October 2024.
If you wish to participate in the settlement, you must complete a settlement registration form by 30 September 2024 to be considered for compensation money.
If you registered before 14 November 2023, you must register again using a different registration form to be considered for compensation money.
