Mum's house pact with Amorosi is an 'invention': lawyer

A house pact supposedly made between Vanessa Amorosi and her mother was merely an invention of the mother's making, the singer-songwriter's lawyers claim. 

The Narre Warren property in Melbourne's southeast is central to Amorosi's legal case against her mother Joyleen Robinson, which has gone to trial in the Victorian Supreme Court.

Amorosi claims the $650,000 used to purchase the home in 2001 came from a trust account set up to receive all of her earnings as a singer-songwriter.

She is seeking full ownership of the property, which currently has her and her mother listed as joint-owners. 

But Mrs Robinson claims Amorosi agreed to hand over full ownership of the Narre Warren home if she paid $650,000 when asked.

In his closing arguments on Wednesday, Amorosi's barrister Joel Fetter told the court the agreement never happened and it was merely Mrs Robinson's invention.

Mr Fetter said the first time the agreement was mentioned was in a 2015 letter, but even that note did not reference when the pact was made.

Mrs Robinson's husband Peter was also not aware of any agreement when he was questioned during his evidence, Mr Fetter said.

Justice Steven Moore also found it "very strange" that Mr Robinson wouldn't have known about an agreement made between his wife and stepdaughter.

"It's very unusual a wife wouldn't tell a husband," he told the court.

But Mrs Robinson's barrister Daniel Harrison said Mr Robinson himself said he left all financial matters to his wife.

Mr Harrison maintained there was an agreement between Amorosi and her mother, and his client merely did not document such matters. 

He also accused Amorosi of giving unreliable evidence to the court, saying she repeatedly couldn't recall key dates.

But Mr Fetter said only Amorosi's version could be considered the truth as she gave convincing evidence of the discussions she had with her mother.

Justice Moore on Wednesday reserved his judgment, which will be handed down at a later date. 

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store