The sections below quote Maurice Blackburn. They reflect allegations or the firm’s position and have not been determined by a court unless a settlement or judgment is noted. Where sources cover the same point, the most recently updated page is shown first and the others are folded underneath.
Settlement Update
On 6 October 2026, we sent a general update to all claimants in the Westpac & St George Finance Flex Commissions Class Action by email to your registered email address from donotreply@mauriceblackburn.com.au. You do not need to do anything right now. The deadline to submit the eligibility assessment has passed for those who received this request. We are now assessing eligibility and will then conduct compensation assessments. We will next contact you in late 2026-early 2027 about next steps. We may not reply to individual enquiries at this time so we can focus on the Eligibility Confirmation process, particularly where the information requested is available on this webpage below. Thank you for helping us manage the administration efficiently on behalf of all 125,000 registered claimants. Please continue checking this webpage as we will update it regularly. Claimants registered for this settlement do not need to do anything at the moment.
Source: Maurice Blackburn
Also from Supreme Court of Victoria
The proceeding has settled and the proposed settlement has been approved.
Source: Supreme Court of Victoria
About This Case
The class action is about “flex commissions” paid by Westpac & St George Finance to car dealers. The class action claimed that Westpac & St George Finance allowed car dealers to set the interest rates on consumers’ car loans and paid higher commissions to car dealers when they set higher interest rates on those loans. The class action alleged that flex commissions were unfair and unlawful and resulted in consumers paying higher interest rates on their loans than they otherwise would have done.
The class action, in effect, claimed that the interest rate consumers paid on their car loans was unlawfully inflated because of the way flex commissions were calculated and paid to car dealers. This means any compensation is based on the extra amount eligible group members allegedly paid in interest on their car loans because of the flex commission structure than what they otherwise may have paid.
Any compensation you are entitled to will not take into account the full amount of your loan or the full amount of the interest you paid on your loan.
Source: Maurice Blackburn
Also from Supreme Court of Victoria
This is a group proceeding (class action) brought on behalf of persons who entered into car loans issued under Westpac or St George Finance’s credit licence, in the period 1 March 2013 to 31 October 2018, with respect to which a “flex commission” was paid to the car dealer.
The claim alleges that car dealers acted on behalf of Westpac and St George Finance in providing certain credit services to group members who took out car loans with those dealers. The claim alleges that the terms of those car loans relating to the “flex commissions” constituted “unfair conduct” for the purposes of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth).
It is also alleged that Westpac and St George Finance engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct by failing to disclose to those borrowers certain matters concerning the loan agreements.
The claim seeks to restrain the lenders from charging further interest, the repayment of interest under the loans or alternatively seeks Court orders voiding the loan agreements or providing compensation to group members.
If you have received an email, text message or letter with details on how to register or opt out of this group proceeding, you have been identified as a potential group member.
Please note that the deadline to register or opt out has now passed.
The deadline to object to the proposed settlement has also passed.
The proceeding has settled and the proposed settlement has been approved.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENT
The deadline to object to the proposed settlement has now passed.
On 16 May 2025, the Court approved a Notice of Proposed Settlement to be sent to group members. Group members should read the Notice carefully. The matters set out in the notice may affect their legal rights.
Order of the Honourable Justice Harris made 16 May 2025
If you wish to participate in the proposed settlement, you must register your details with Maurice Blackburn Lawyers by 23 July 2025.
Any group member who wishes to object to the proposed settlement must, by no later than 17 July 2025:
complete the ‘Notice of Objection’ form available at Maurice Blackburn's website; and email it to Maurice Blackburn Lawyers at westpacflexca@mauriceblackburn.com.au Any group member who wishes to object may (but is not obliged to) appear, or have their legal representative appear, at the settlement approval hearing which is on 27 August 2025 at 10:30 am (AEST) in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Further details regarding the hearing will be published on this webpage closer to the hearing date.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT REGISTRATION AND OPTING OUT
Please note that the deadline to register or opt out has now passed.
If you are, or you think that you may be a group member, you should read the documents below carefully.
The Notice (a copy of which is below) contains important information about your rights to:
(1) register your interest in the proceeding; or (2) opt out of the proceeding.
In summary, if you fall within the definition of a group member:
You must register your interest in accordance with the Notice by Thursday, 12 October 2023 to be eligible to receive compensation if there is a settlement between the parties at the upcoming mediation. For further information on how to register, please refer to paragraphs 13 – 15 in the Notice below.
You will remain a group member unless you take steps to opt out by Thursday, 12 October 2023. For further information about opting out, please refer to paragraphs 24 – 27 of the Notice below.
The definition of a “group member” is set out in the Notice.
Late Opt Out Orders
Orders made by the Honourable Justice Nichols on 5 December 2023 permitted the late opt out of certain group members.
Please note that the Annexures to the orders have not been published to protect the private information of group members.
The persons named in these orders are permitted to opt out of the proceeding because, as at the date of these orders, they each submitted an application or notice to the Court directly or through a lawyer appointed to act for them that: (i) was in writing; (ii) was personally signed by the group member; (iii) set out adequate reasons why the group member did not file an opt out notice by the deadline and why the group member says that the Court should make an order permitting the group member to opt out.
Source: Supreme Court of Victoria
Who May Be Eligible
Group Members had a consumer car loan arranged through a car dealer between 1 March 2013 and 31 October 2018 with Westpac, St. George Finance, Bank of Melbourne or BankSA.
Source: Maurice Blackburn
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Westpac & St George Flex Commission Class Action about?
The class action is about “flex commissions” paid by Westpac & St George Finance to car dealers. The class action claimed that Westpac & St George Finance allowed car dealers to set the interest rates on consumers’ car loans and paid higher commissions to car dealers when they set higher interest rates on those loans. The class action alleged that flex commissions were unfair and unlawful and resulted in consumers paying higher interest rates on their loans than they otherwise would have done. The class action, in effect, claimed that the interest rate consumers paid on their car loans was unlawfully inflated because of the way flex commissions were calculated and paid to car dealers. This means any compensation is based on the extra amount eligible group members allegedly paid in interest on their car loans because of the flex commission structure than what they otherwise may have paid. Any compensation you are entitled to will not take into account the full amount of your loan or the full amount of the interest you paid on your loan. Group Members had a consumer car loan arranged through a car dealer between 1 March 2013 and 31 October 2018 with Westpac, St. George Finance, Bank of Melbourne or BankSA.
When will I be paid?
We expect to commence payments in 2027 after all bank account details are collected and verified. We estimated that the settlement administration would take 12-15 months to complete from October 2025, when the administration commenced. We are on track to achieve that timeline.
How much will I be paid?
We do not know yet how much compensation you may get, if any. Registered group members are not guaranteed to receive compensation as this depends on a number of factors, including when you entered into your loan.
Source: Maurice Blackburn
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Maurice Blackburn and Supreme Court of Victoria. It is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Always verify details with the original sources before taking any action.
Legal disclaimer: Information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. ClaimBar tracks class action settlements and provides updates. Always seek professional legal advice for your specific circumstances.
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