IN THE SUPREME COURT OF VICTORI A AT MELBOURNE

COMMON LAW DIVISION

No 47880[2009
BETWEEN
CAROL ANN MATTHEWS
Plaintiff
and
SPI ELECTRICITY PTY LTD (ACN 064 651 118) & ORS
Defendants
(by original proceeding)
AND BETWEEN
SPI ELECTRI CITY PTY LTD (ACN 064 651 118)
Plaintiff by Counterclaim
and
UTILITY SERVICES CORPORATION LIMITED
(ACN 060 674 580) & ORS
Defendants by Counterclaim
(by counterclaim)
CERTIFICATE IDENTIFYING EXHIBIT
Date of document: 24 March 2011
filed on behalf of: the fir st defendant
Prepared by:
Freehills
Level 43 101 Coll ins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Solicitor's Code: 420
DX: 240 Melbourne
Tel: +61 39288 1234
Fax: +6139288 1567
Ref: KAA:REO:8 1720904
Attention: Ken Adams
Email: ken.adams@freehill s.com
Thi s is the exhi bit marked "KAA: 1" now produced and shown to Kenneth Alexander Adams at the
time of sweari ng hi s affi davit on 24 March 201 1.
RUTH EUZABETM 017:a"j/liG'WIO
F_
101 CoIllna Street
An AUSlrallan L.gal PIJctmonir WIthin tho
m8al11ng of thlllegal Profaaslon Act 2004.
Freehills 8165581
:Z4 //
..... -
"KAA:l "
The Sunday Age article titled
"Huge fire class action launched"
f ... "" ... \
MEDIA MONITORS
...
baok
Sunday Age
1510212009
Page: 1
General News
Region: Melbourne
Circulat ion: 225700
Type: Capital City Dail y
Si ze : 345.23 sq.cms
-5
Huge fire class action launched
Fallen power line at centre of
lawsuit over deaths, $500m losses
CAMERON HOUSTON
MICHAEL BACHELARO
TilE Bnullbv GO\,Crllll1CI\[ and fI
privatt- elcci ricilY company facc
olle of Ihe large'Sl class actions ill
ViclOrian history owr lasl
\\'{'CK(,lkI'S It('vasl<lling fires lonn.
The ]('gal wrangle. wh ich is
rXpC'CICd \0 involve hundreds of
millions of dollars and last for
will Cf' ntrt' 0 11 it faJ lm power
linC' tha t is belicV('d 10 have
Sp'UkNI the bta7.(, [hal 1011' throngh
KinglaKr, SH't'ls Crcek and SI
I\ndrf'ws, killing more' [han 100
proplc and liCSl roying <lilOll i 1000
hOll1('S,
TIl(' Pllo\'nix taskforce is
l'X3mining a \lvo-lOlollletre stretch
of pOWt'T line in Kilmon:' !:as! tha t
silapped dl1ring strong and
n>ront heat ,1]lOlli J lam Ias! SlIlur-
da\', a nearDY pint'
fon' sl was ahliv.l', Wilhin six hours
Ihe fin: had dl'SlnJYi'd nearly every
buildi lll,: in towns in ifs !Jalll.
On Thursday, police r(l1\Ovl\] it
kllg1h of Ill(' fa llen power lint' and
a pail' as evidence.
The lawsuir will cowr thOll -
s,mds of farlllrrs, slim!!
01'llI('r5, tollrist operators and
rt'Si(lenrs who losl homes.
Sl idllers Lawvrrs
1)'1nllC'r Dailiel Oldham f:OnfirinM
Ihat a elas. .. actiull had been issued
in Ihe Supremc Court of Victoria
OIl Friday against Singapore-
011'11('11 (']I'cfriciry cOlllllilny SP
,\usN('t, which is responsible fo r
maintaining most of Ihe power
lines in ('(lSII'm Victoria,
-It is [wlil'w'!. l thaI the claim \Iill
lX' mal"\(> Oil !l Ie basis of negligem
1I 1f1na!:,'t' lll('nt of pOIl'('f lines and
infraSl mcll u"('," Mr ( lldham s:tid.
l;ad(, ll s Lawye rs wi ll issnr a
SC'panHr cL1im againsf S]> AusNl'f
this w('('k. SlaTer 8.: Gordon has
rduS('t1 to nile Ollt similar action.
bl!! sai d the finn 1I'0uld wail for
the findings ofa royal ('ommission
to b(' rrlf'<lsl"'d late neXI year,
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) l/canced copy
111(' InsurancI' COlll1r'il of Aus-
tralia has estimat('d l11 r ('osl oftll ('
fires al about S500 tnillioll. Bll t SP
AusNet's legal liability h"s bl'c'lI
capPfti al SIOO million III ldl' r a
deal sfmck fhe fonner Kelllll'lt
gOI'eTlll11cut with privatf' ut ilit)'
o!)enllors, when the fOrtl lt'r Stat('
Elecui.cily Collunissioll privat-
iSf'd in Legal sources said tl lis
meallf the Brumby GOveTlltl1Ctll
could be forced 10 Cover a shonfHll
of hlllU.iIl'flS of millions of 11011rus.
Friday's Suprenll' Comt actiol1
came as five W{'Stem DiSulCIS law
finns, incl ut1ing Maddells l;tW}'<'rs
and Brol'lll Proudfoot, met to
discuss a separatc class anion Oil
behalf of vi(, tims of the J JursltiUl1
bushfires. which Wert' also ('auSNI
by faulty power IiltCS. I.q.(111 a('tion
is also expected OVl'r a scpamtl' lif('
sparked by a fallen Owl'r poll' ll tll t
bUTIlt vasl swathps of land in
Mudgegollga and Ded('rang.
III oth(,r developmetll s:
M<trvsvill(' resid(,lIts vcst('rda\'
1ll,lde'llll' jOllfllry back. to Vil'I\'
thcir stricken 10Wl1 ill a COIIVO\' of
('(laches. .
The Department of Sustai n'
abi1ilV and Envirotl1l1l'nt said
r.WOll l-11])I(' wrather conditions had
helped bri ng all 11111 12 rNnaining
blazes IItlt l{'r ('olllrol lasl night.
and an 8OOltiJon lei rr oonlait11II(,111
line was close 10 <Xllllpl(,1 iOIl.
Major-Gcn{'ral John <:<111111'(' 11 .
a('ting hl'al t of Ill(' Virtoriall Uush
fire Hcamslnl rcion alltl Il('(:ol'ery
Authoric\', said builders and 0I1t('f
tnlllCslIirn \\"Quld start work on
fixing damaged hom{'S this 1I'P('k.
A senior el1wrgel1cy serl'icI's
source C'Onfinlled thaI che tripk'-O
phone line was IlIliI lli\\'('rC't1
during the pfl.'V(' l1ti ng IIl'O-
pIe from repor1ing 11('11' fin'S, and
lilal CPA inlcrtlal radio and
services, and CIIH'rgr nry nolifi,a
lions on CI:i\ allt l [)SE wtbsil(,s
Wf'f(' clogged al 11.\ illilllcqllatc.
("Qmmission chaiflniUl Jus
ci('{' I3cntald Tcab'll' ackllowl{'(lgCt.1
tll(' ('hallenge" ahead, but
wOIlIt! nOI ('[aborat' Oil the ((,fins
of his ill qlliry utll il his appoint -
1111'1 11 \\'as 111.111e offi ciallomorrow,
Melbourne l!arriSler 'lim Tobi n,
QC. sllccessfully repn' s{,lllcd
humtretls of victims of Ih(' Hl83
Ash Wednesday fires in a class
action against the State Elcctricity
Commission. Thl' stalll1of)' auth
ority was fOf("('t1 to pay 0111 more
than S300 millioll 10 more than
5000 daimall1S. afwr dashing
pOll'er li nes II'{'I"(' fOllnd 10 hil \,(,
callsl'(t fin'S ,11 MOllllt Maredo ll,
north of Ml'lhollrlH", am! Warr
natnUool. intlu' SlfItl"S II'cst.
Mr Tubin said privat(' utility
COlllp<lll i('S had a dut y of ('.arc to
ViclOri,lIl
"That tn('ans kecpillg
lin('5 clear of trees and in a ('omU-
tioll that WOIl'I calise Ilres. The\'
II1l1st also have Syst,lllS in place to
ident ify alld prcWllt risks occur-
rillg," MrTubin said,
A fo r SP ,\IISNr f
sai(1 Ihe power company would
;Issist \1;lh investigations into the
caliS(' of III(' t!ea(Uv blaze.
priority isto f("Store power
to !irc-atT('{"INI areas as as
pussihll': sht' said.
i\ spokesman fo r EIlt'1"gy Safe
Virloriil said lilt' go'o'{'mm('l11 body
llild audit ed lht' nel work's bushfue
ri sk to make Sllre required
distan(,cs betweell power linf'S and
V( ... 'CI atlon were IlIa.i.ntai.tll;'!l.l. Power
had been given a rlc<U1
bill of health, and electricitv !inns
were jllllg(.\i 10 be "well pwpared
for tilC 200H)' " bllshfi re S('3SO!l.
H{' sai d t!WfC wen: l)(l regula-
tiOI lS to lilt' distances
IWIII'!:t' 11 poles sllpporling
1le('triC"i ty ami spans of one
kiiOllu'ln' wt'f"{: not 11i 1I 1SllaJ.
Ref: 47332864