‘Centrelink Heiress’ Case to play out in Victoria’s Supreme Court

by Sarah Dunn | Feb 25, 2025| Latest News

An interesting case to keep an eye out for across the next 12 months is that of Clare Brown, nicknamed “Centrelink Heiress”, as she fights for access to her late father’s fortune currently locked away in a family trust. Clare is the daughter of the wealthy late stockbroker, Christopher Hylton Brown, and has been embroiled in a legal battle over her inheritance since her father’s death in January 2022.

The case centres around her father’s will, which established a family trust. This family trust is said to have contained clauses stipulating that Ms Brown must first secure a job and contribute to society in order to inherit her share of his estate. Ms Brown, who lives with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and high-functioning autism, is arguing in the Victorian Supreme Court that she cannot work for medical reasons and has claimed these clauses unfairly prevent her from gaining access to her entitlement under the Will.

On the other side of this legal battle is Ms Brown’s first cousin, Benjamin Sweeten, and his partner Elizabeth, who are fighting to uphold the conditions contained in the family trust. Ms Brown’s family members have openly criticised her in the media, calling her refusal to work “embarrassing” and suggesting she needs to learn about a hard day’s work to truly gain an appreciation of the funds. Mr Sweeten argues that her father included these specific clauses in the family trust for a reason and that Ms Brown requires a wake-up call, with extended family members calling her dependency on welfare “un-Australian.”

Throughout her life, Ms Brown, who was educated at the elite Sydney private school Ascham, had been financially dependent on her late father, receiving a weekly allowance and taking up residence in one of his $6 million apartments in Darling Point. Since her father’s passing in January 2022, Ms Brown has been forced to move from this property and is now residing in a rental property at Mt Druitt.

In recent years, Ms Brown has been dependent on Centrelink and NDIS to get by and, in a recent newspaper interview, said, “I have called myself a broke millionaire because I am broke constantly and can’t do anything about it… I just want what is rightfully mine. And I want these people to get out of their heads that I am ever going to get a job.” Ms Brown’s cousin has suggested volunteer work as an alternative to move forward however she has indicated that she is unable to consider this until such time as her NDIS funding is increased.

The legal battle is set to continue in the Victorian Supreme Court in this year and next.

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