What is the settlement?
Under the settlement, Group Members who are eligible to participate in the settlement will have their claims individually assessed by Shine Lawyers, who have been appointed by the Court to act as the Settlement Administrator. The amount payable to individual eligible Group Members depends on a range of factors, and will be ascertained by the Settlement Administrator on a case by case basis for each eligible Group Member.
Notice to Group Members
You may have recently received a text message containing a link to the Shine Lawyers webpage to register for the settlement. You may also have received a document in the post or by email called a "Post-Approval Notice" containing similar information.
These text messages and Notices are not from Westpac. They have been sent by Shine Lawyers to over 80,000 people who might potentially be Group Members. The fact that you have received one of these text messages or Notices does not mean that you are in fact a Group Member or that you are eligible to participate in the settlement – it means that you may potentially be a Group Member.
How did Shine Lawyers get my contact details?
The Federal Court ordered Westpac to provide the names and contact details for all potential Group Members to Shine Lawyers so that they could distribute the Notices and text messages. Shine Lawyers are required to keep your contact details strictly confidential and cannot use them for any purpose other than administering the settlement. However, if you choose to register with Shine Lawyers to find out if you are eligible to participate in the settlement (as outlined below) you will be required to consent to Westpac sharing further personal and confidential information with Shine Lawyers for the purpose of administering the settlement.
I’ve received a Notice or text message from Shine Lawyers. What should I do now?
As explained more fully on the Shine Lawyers' webpage referred to in the text message and in the Notice, your options are:
- to register to participate in the settlement – that is, to provide your details to Shine Lawyers so that they can determine whether you are eligible to receive any money from the settlement sum; or
- to do nothing.
You should decide which of the above options you would like to choose. Westpac is unable to provide any advice to you in relation to your decision about which option to choose.
Group Members who previously “opted out” of the class action will not be eligible to participate in the settlement.
What if I have further questions?
If you have any further questions, you should contact Shine Lawyers on 1800 066 105. They can discuss with you any issues concerning whether or not you are a Group Member and whether or not you are eligible to participate in the proposed settlement. You should not contact Westpac about these issues.