Comedian Celeste Barber,who fronted a Facebook fundraising effort at the height of the disaster,has reportedly taken legal advice after learning money donated to the RFS has not gone to victims on the ground.
While social media has been flooded with donors complaining the $52 million raised was not being spent how they wanted,legal experts said donors needed to be aware of laws governing charities.
Australian National University Associate Professor Michael Eburn said donors need to"make sure you know what charity you're donating to",stressing the RFS has done nothing wrong.
"This money is going exactly where they said it would go - there's no question of misappropriation. If donors wanted to donate money to someone who has lost their home,then the RFS was never that charity,"he said.
Trust deeds governing the charitable status of the RFS only allow for money to be spent on items such as trucks,equipment and administration. The trust provisions are designed to protect donors from giving money that is then spent elsewhere or misappropriated.
Given the legal status of the RFS trust deed and the amount of money involved,it could take an act of Parliament,special dispensation from the Supreme Court,or in an extreme case,the winding up of the RFS to disperse the money in any way other than how the trust deed dictates,Dr Eburn said.