Chris Minns Accused Of “Victim-Blaming” Kathleen Folbigg In New Comments

NSW Premier Chris Minns has been criticised for “victim-blaming” Kathleen Folbigg in comments regarding her delayed financial compensation from the state on Monday.

Folbigg was convicted of the deaths of her children, Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura, who were toddlers or babies when they died between 1989 and 1999.

These convictions were overturned in 2023, after the emergence of new medical evidence.

Folbigg is seeking compensation from the NSW government following her twenty year imprisonment, and has been struggling to adjust to the current cost of living.

“I’m not asking to be treated any differently than anyone else who’s been put through what I have,” she said in a statement.

“I just need this to be resolved so I can begin to rebuild and move forward.”

“The whole world has changed so much since I was away.”

Folbigg’s lawyer, Rhanee Rego, said an application for an ex gratia payment was made last July, but had failed to progress further.

The pair had been attempting to meet with Minns, a request he publicly denied on Monday, saying the issue was being considered by Attorney-General Michael Daley.

“They’re in the process of demanding money from the NSW government,” the Premier told press yesterday.

“That’s being independently assessed by the Attorney-General, and I don’t think it’s appropriate that I have meetings before he makes a decision.

“There’s a lot of difficult calls for me to make as Premier. This isn’t one of them.”

“Like every citizen in the state, she’s entitled to take her matter to the courts and sue the NSW government, but this is a complex issue given she won’t do that.”

MP accuses Minns of “callous and cruel” behaviour 

Greens MP and Justice Spokesperson Sue Higginson said Minns’ comments were “disparaging” and “victim-blaming”, and recommended the Premier undertake trauma-informed communication training to avoid further hurtful comments.

“Ms Folbigg is owed some form of compensation by the NSW Government and a request to meet with the Premier is literally the bare minimum. Instead, the Premier has criticised Ms Folbigg for requesting a meeting and seeking an accepted method of compensation rather than engaging in drawn out expensive civil litigation against the State of NSW,” she said on Monday afternoon.

“Saying, as Premier, that you make hard decisions but “this isn’t one of them” – it’s incredibly callous and cruel particularly in the circumstances while Ms Folbigg is simply exercising her rights to access justice and has in fact spared the State protracted legal proceedings.”

Higginson said Minns should apologise to both the public and Folbigg for his actions, and organise a meeting with Folbigg and her lawyer.

“There is no conflict of interest here,” she said. “It’s a serious case of justice delayed, is justice denied. Ms Folbigg has waited too long.

“I am now in discussions with the opposition and other members of the cross bench in the Parliament about what further steps we can take to end this drawn out denial of justice.”

A spokesperson for the Attorney-General said the application for the ex gratia payment was being considered.

“The NSW government acknowledges concerns about the time taken to consider Ms Folbigg’s application, which contains complex material,” they said in a statement.

“It is important this material is thoroughly considered before a decision is made.”

CityHub contacted the Premier’s office for a comment, but had not received a response by the time of publication.