Kathleen Folbigg, who spent two decades imprisoned for the wrongful conviction of murdering her four children, has publicly dismissed the NSW government’s offer of a $2 million ex gratia payment, describing it as a “slap in the face.” Now aged 58, Folbigg had her convictions overturned in 2023 after her release from jail.
In a recent interview with 9News, she expressed her disappointment, stating, “What [the government has] done is offer an innocent person an amount that doesn’t justify all the suffering and everything else that happened.” Folbigg labelled the offer as both “low-ball” and “insulting,” suggesting it fails to adequately compensate for her 20 years of wrongful imprisonment, although she refrained from specifying what she considers a fair amount.
NSW Premier Chris Minns responded to Folbigg’s concerns by emphasising the state’s financial constraints, claiming the budget simply could not accommodate a larger payment. He mentioned that the government does not have “millions lying around,” dismissing the possibility of a more substantial compensation package.
Despite her dissatisfaction with the offer, Folbigg stated that she feels compelled to accept it due to a lack of options. She elaborated, saying, “I can’t go down the sue the government route… They want to give me that [$2 million], and then I’d have to spend all that money on fighting them, which is going to cost much more than that.” Folbigg hopes that public outcry regarding the government’s proposed figure might lead to a reconsideration of the compensation amount.
There are also calls from the community for an inquiry into the decision-making process behind the government’s compensation figure, a move Folbigg supports in hopes of a more generous outcome.