Alifia Soeryo’s mother, Novie Badilla seeks compensation for daughter’s death in freak tree accident and answers over the tragedy

Months on and still searching for answers, the mother of a young girl killed by a falling tree in the Adelaide Parklands said she will keep fighting for compensation but that ‘justice is number one’.

International student Alifia Soeryo was struck by a falling tree in February, and her loved ones gathered at the site for a memorial service. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The grieving mother of a woman killed by a falling tree is “very hurt” that she cannot see the findings of the resulting investigation and said she will keep fighting for compensation.

It comes as health and safety regulator SafeWork SA ruled Adelaide City Council bore no responsibility for Alifia Soeryo’s death, calling it a “tragic accident” and determining that no workplace laws were broken.

In February, the 22-year-old Indonesian international student was sitting under the tree in the Adelaide Parklands when the eight-tonne gum fell, killing her almost instantly.

Novie Badilla in the Adelaide bedroom of her daughter Alifia Soeryo, who was killed by a falling tree in North Adelaide. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Her mother Novie Badilla said she had approached personal injury legal firm Shine Lawyers to explore her options for a compensation claim against Adelaide City Council.

“The compensation is number two for me, but number one is justice,” Mrs Badilla told The Advertiser.

“I just want to know what happened, I just want people to be aware about this … People tell me that gum trees fall, but this was not just the branches, it was the whole tree.”

Alifia Soeryo tragically lost her life after a tree fell onto her in the Adelaide parklands. Picture: Instagram

Mrs Badilla, 56 and living in Jakarta, said that SafeWork advised her because of legal restrictions, the only way she could see the full report is to apply for freedom of information access – which can take more than a month and may come with redactions.

“They said they did not have the authority to release it, because of the regulations they are not allowed to,” she said.

“But I am her mother, I have the right to know all the information. So I am upset with them actually, I don’t understand why I can’t see it.”

The report is now with the coroner, and Mrs Badilla was told that it could be anywhere from 6 to 18 months until they hand down the full findings of what happened to Alifia that day.

A SafeWork SA spokesman said its investigation found that “while the death was a tragic accident, there were no work-related factors associated with the incident that breached the work health and safety laws”.

He said the agency had told the family but “due to confidentiality provisions, we are unable to provide further details of the investigation at this time”.

Mrs Badilla with a bike belonging to her daughter, who was an avid cyclist and motorsport lover. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Adelaide City Council also undertook its own investigation, but would not comment on its findings nor those of SafeWork.

A tree inspection was carried out in June 2023 at the parklands but no structural integrity issues were identified.

Mrs Badilla, who lives on her own, said she began most mornings by visiting her daughter’s bedroom and asking her about what she had planned for the day.

“I still believe I can get through this life,” Mrs Badilla said.

In May, she returned to Adelaide to accept Alifia’s posthumous university degree in her absence.