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IN BRIEF
- Officials have confirmed action against Belle Gibson is ongoing nearly a decade after the Federal Court ruling.
- Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said in February that Consumer Affairs Victoria “won’t let up” in chasing the outstanding penalty.
Consumer Affairs Victoria has reaffirmed its commitment to recovering a $410,000 court-imposed fine from disgraced wellness influencer Belle Gibson. The penalty remains outstanding nearly ten years after the Federal Court’s decision, with the consumer watchdog stating it remains determined to pursue the debt.
This statement came during a parliamentary estimates session on Friday when Victorian Nationals MP Jade Benham inquired about the status of the long-standing penalty. She questioned whether the debt had been categorized as irretrievable and effectively abandoned.
Benham referred to previous remarks by Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, who asserted last year that Consumer Affairs Victoria was “constantly and consistently” pursuing Gibson. The fine was levied in 2017 after Gibson confessed to fabricating claims about having terminal brain cancer and misleading consumers.
During the hearing, Victoria’s Consumer Affairs Minister, Paul Edbrooke, stated, “I don’t have any information that says that has been written off,” before deferring to Nicole Rich, the director of Consumer Affairs Victoria.
“No, it hasn’t been written off,” confirmed Rich, emphasizing the ongoing efforts to collect the fine.
“Ms Benham, we will continue to pursue that. It’s a court penalty, so it will continue to be owed.”
A Consumer Affairs Victoria spokesperson told SBS News the watchdog “has continued to undertake actions” to enforce the debt owed by Gibson under court order.
Gibson was ordered by the Federal Court in 2017 to pay $410,000 after Consumer Affairs Victoria successfully sued her for misleading and deceptive conduct over false claims she had terminal brain cancer and other cancers and had cured them through diet and alternative therapies.
She had also falsely claimed profits from her wellness brand, app and cookbook business would be donated to charity.
Interest and penalties later pushed the amount owed beyond $500,000, while authorities previously raided Gibson’s Northcote home in attempts to seize assets.
The case returned to public attention last year, following the release of Netflix drama Apple Cider Vinegar, which dramatised Gibson’s rise and fall and renewed scrutiny on whether the debt would ever be recovered.
Allan said in February that Consumer Affairs Victoria “won’t let up” in pursuing the outstanding penalty.
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