Melbourne Magistrates’ Court has made orders distributing over $120,000 raised for communities affected by the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
On 13 August, the court directed that the money be distributed to the Country Fire Authority and Ambulance Victoria branches in Marysville and Kinglake.
After the bushfire tragedy, registered fundraiser Co.As.It Italian Assistance Association, together with Il Globo, ReteItalia and the Italian community, raised over $600,000 for its beneficiary - the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction & Recovery Authority (VBRRA).
Co.As.It donated $490,000 to the VBRRA in August 2009 to help build community facilities in Marysville and Kinglake. The remaining funds were held in trust until the VBRRA directed where the money would be distributed.
In February 2014, Co.As.It notified Consumer Affairs Victoria that the VBRRA had disbanded. The Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria successfully applied to the court for an order directing the remaining money.