Important legal documents, including proof of identity papers, should be placed in relocation kits to avoid legal complications, a collective of legal experts has said in the lead up to the 2010 bushfire season. 

Bushfire Legal Help was established to provide pro bono legal support and includes Victoria Legal Aid, the Federation of Community Legal Centres, the Law Institute of Victoria, Victoria Law Foundation, Public Interest Law Clearing House and the Victorian Bar. 

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After the Black Saturday fires, many people lost important documents which made it difficult to prove their identity and created legal complications.

“Bushfire Legal Help assisted many people to establish their identity, and we advise that it would be a good idea for  people to copy and store important documents in case they are burnt out,” spokesperson Kerry O’Shea said.

“Many people had trouble finding or replacing wills, mortgage papers, birth certificates, insurance and other documents after the fires,” she said.