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
Minister, on 23 September you announced, seemingly out of nowhere, that the Public Trustee would be restructured.
Is it your government's intention that the commissioning base rate at the moment, which is set by the Public Trustee, would be required to be taken up by the public sector? In other words, for people with less than $100,000 the private sector would get 0 per cent commission? How would that work, or are the cases that the government's going to keep but they're going hand out the profit-making ones to the private sector so nothing's coming back to the public?
On the Public Trustee and the comments that you were talking about recently, the acting secretary said 'as we work through the process of responding to the Economic Regulator'. What Tasmanians who are listening don't understand is that the Economic Regulator has done an assessment and has found areas where efficiencies could be gained or where there are costs that are higher in Tasmania than there are in other states.
In a move fraught with risk for already vulnerable clients, Attorney General Guy Barnett today announced the Public Trustee’s commercial will, estate and trustee services will be transferred to the private sector.
Minister, as you know, many people who are on - under a guardianship order also have their affairs managed by the Public Trustee. This is a question that falls within this output, because it's about vulnerable clients. You issued a press release a short time ago to say that the Public Trustee, which has come under enormous criticism in recent years, will be restructured with the commercial will, estate and trustee services to be transferred to the private sector.
Why do you not put the work into the public employees and the organisation so that they can do the job, which you apparently think they are not doing properly, that you think the private sector is better at doing? Why don't you do that?
There is a specific case that has been put to us, probably to the Chair or the CEO, that the Public Trustee supported a client to have their order revoked.
There have been some concerns raised with me about consultation processes around and following the passage of the guardianship and adminstration amemdment.
The Greens welcome the Attorney General‘s indication today the Government is considering removing the gag on people who are under guardianship orders.