Ms O’CONNOR – The Public Trustee operations have come under criticism. There’s a lot of public interest in the way that the Public Trustee operates because it’s dealing with a lot of vulnerable people.
Are you, as Treasurer, reassured that the Public Trustee is on the right track, and given your predecessor floated the idea of selling the Public Trustee –
Mr ABETZ – Part of its operations.
Ms O’CONNOR – Yes, that’s right, sorry – but can you confirm now that that is no longer government policy?
Mr ABETZ – Number 1, that is no longer government policy. Number 2, since becoming Treasurer, I am now a shareholder minister in the Public Trustee. I’ve had a meeting with the Chair and the CEO, and they have indicated to me that they have learned a lot from the reviews that have been undertaken and the criticism, which from our former colleagues in the legal world were quite strong, and that’s your term.
Suffice to say, given the changes that have occurred – and I think, Public Trustee comes up as a separate item, and I think I’ll be repping the Attorney-General for that later on, but the figures with consumer reaction seem to have had a considerable uplift, and I have thanked them for their diligence in achieving that.
Ms O’CONNOR – Full credit to the team at the Public Trustee.
Mr ABETZ – Yes.
