Board introduced to monitor Public Trustee office after probe revealed shocking client treatment claims

Months after a damning report revealed vulnerable Queenslanders were being overcharged by the Public Trustee, a board has been introduced to monitor behaviour in the statutory authority.

A new board is set to oversee the state’s Public Trustee office following a damning report which found the statutory authority mismanaging the finances of vulnerable Queenslanders.

The Palaszczuk Government introduced legislation today in parliament to establish a Public Trustee Advisory and Monitoring Board to “enhance transparency and public accountability”.

It comes after a scathing report from earlier this year found “serious issues” in how the office handled Queenslanders’ money, which included overcharging and making questionable financial decisions.

The Public Trustee manages both deceased estates and finances of more than 10,000 Queenslanders with impaired decision-making capabilities who have no one else to turn to.

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman said that protecting vulnerable Queenslanders was a “priority” for the government.

Queensland Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman introduced the legislation today. Picture: Dan Peled.

The board will monitor the Public Trustee’s performance, complaints about the performance, and the process of dealing with the complaints.

It won’t have any management powers or have the ability to direct the Public Trustee, but it can give advice or submit written recommendations.

The board will include community members with relevant fiscal and legal knowledge surrounding seniors and disability, senior public officers and the Public Advocate.

There were 32 recommendations in total from the Public Advocate’s report, ten of which were for the government to consider including one for the government to share responsibility with the Public Trustee.

“I look forward to working on the remaining recommendations in consultation with the

Public Trustee, the Public Advocate, and other stakeholders,” Ms Fentiman said.