When Belinda Jane learned at Christmas that her mother had secretly transferred the family farm to one of her siblings, she says the loss went far beyond an asset valued at about $1million.
The 46-year-old, the eldest of seven children, said the decision fractured the family and highlighted the dangers of making significant inheritance arrangements without proper legal advice or open discussion.
Ms Jane said her 72-year-old mother transferred the 64-hectare farm in East Gippsland—land that had been in the family for generations—to one of her sons without speaking to her other six children.
Ms Jane began investigating after becoming suspicious of her sister-in-law’s behaviour at Christmas 2025. She obtained the title documents and discovered that the sheep farm had been gifted to her oldest brother as an early inheritance.
“My mother had basically given her whole inheritance to one of my brothers and had not told us, keeping it a secret for 12 months,” she told the Daily Mail.
When Ms Jane asked why the transfer had not been disclosed, she said her mother replied: “Oh, I meant to, but life got in the way.” Ms Jane said that might explain a delay of a week or two, but not a year.
According to Ms Jane, her mother had frequently spoken about preserving the farming legacy left by her father.
“I said to her, ‘But you neglected to ask whether any of your other children wanted to be part of that legacy,’” she said.
Belinda Jane (pictured right) with her mother, who left the family farm to one son out of six siblings
The East Gippsland farm (pictured) is estimated to be worth about $1million and has been held by the family for generations
Ms Jane said she was deeply concerned that her mother had not sought independent legal advice or discussed the decision with her children before effectively excluding the others from an asset in which they felt they had an interest.
She said several of her siblings had previously shown interest in buying land or becoming involved in the farm, but were never offered a genuine opportunity to do so.
“I’ve never been interested in the farm, but I know some of the others were,” Ms Jane said.
Some siblings had even offered to purchase blocks from their mother, she said, but the discussions broke down after she proposed what they considered to be exorbitant prices.
“I never thought anything would be equal when she passed away, but I thought it would be somewhat fair,” Ms Jane said.
She stressed that the dispute was not chiefly about money. Instead, she said, the secrecy and lack of consultation had damaged trust and left six siblings feeling excluded from a major family decision.
“Mum’s lack of trust in us and lack of communication, honesty and transparency, all of the above, have brought up old hurts for us six other children—and the feeling that we weren’t wanted by her.”
Ms Jane said the dispute had strained relationships across generations, including among the family’s eight grandchildren. Some relatives are now uncomfortable attending long-standing gatherings at the property.
NEXT UP: Former NRL Star Whose Career Was Ended by Horror Injury Offers Nathan Cleary Hope
Belinda Jane (pictured) said the dispute is not primarily about money, but about secrecy, trust and the emotional impact on six siblings who feel they were shut out of a major family decision
“I think that’s when Mum’s really going to notice,” she said.
‘Mum has just stuck her head in the sand and refused to answer some pretty simple questions from the beginning, such as: Who did you talk to? Who did you get advice from? Why did you do this? Why didn’t you tell us?
‘She has flat-out refused to answer those questions. She has since attempted to answer some of them, but she doesn’t seem to see the real issue, which is that she has neglected all the other kids.
‘I’m particularly upset for a few of my siblings who do a lot for her. I don’t. I live in the city, and I’ve never had a great relationship with her.
‘But if you can’t give credit to those kids who still do so much for you… my sister lives around the corner from Mum, and she’s constantly helping her out.
‘Another brother has been very close to Mum, not the one who got the farm, and I just don’t understand how she has seemingly forgotten all that and handed it over to one child.’
Ms Jane said she was also concerned about her mother’s future care after giving away a major asset that could potentially have funded aged care.
‘I asked her what are you going to do when you can’t look after yourself anymore and need to pay for some sort of care, wherever that is?’
Farming in East Gippsland (pictured) is predominantly family-based
‘And her response was, “God will provide.”‘
She said she decided to speak publicly because she believes families need to have open conversations about wills, estate planning and inheritance before disputes arise.
‘I have never been one to shy away from talking about things that most people don’t like to discuss. The only way to educate people is for someone to talk about it.’
Daily Mail contacted Ms Jane’s mother for comment, but she refused to speak.
Ms Jane’s family dispute comes as Australia enters what has been dubbed the ‘Great Wealth Transfer’, with trillions of dollars in property, superannuation, investments and other assets set to pass from older Australians to younger generations.
The Productivity Commission has estimated Australians aged over 60 will transfer about $3.5trillion in wealth over the coming decades as the Baby Boomer generation ages.
More than $120billion was transferred through inheritances and gifts in 2018, more than double the amount in 2002, with inheritances accounting for about 90 per cent of transfers.
The Commission has projected the value of inheritances could increase around four-fold in real terms by 2050 as Australia’s population ages and decades of rising property and investment values swell the estates being left behind.