The Public Trustee has welcomed today’s announcement by the State Government of additional support to allow for the implementation of the findings of the Independent Review.
CEO, Todd Kennedy said in response to the Review, “We fully accept the recommendations of the Independent Review and happily welcome the need to embrace change. We are now working hard to implement these recommendations and I thank the Government for their commitment to support us implement change.”
“We acknowledge we have not been meeting the expectations of our clients, or the community in all cases and we recognise we need to do better. We need to listen more to our clients and we also accept that we need to change. Importantly as we make changes, we need to ensure our clients are at the centre of every decision made by the organisation.” Mr Kennedy said.
“Implementing these findings will take time, but we are committed to achieving this by building strong working relationships with clients, stakeholders and the community.
“With the Government’s commitment to additional support, we will be able to become a more client-centric business. We will have a greater capacity to assist our clients with their varied and at times complicated matters. “
“We will have additional resources, better training, and more time to get to know and understand our clients beyond just their finances. We are moving to provide more face-to-face staff throughout Tasmania. When possible, we will also be able to implement programs to assist and encourage clients to become capable of managing their own affairs.
“We know that we are appointed to take on trusted roles at difficult times in people’s lives; we will be more responsive to their needs and most importantly we want their views reflected in every decision we make with them.
“We also want the community to have confidence that there is a quality safety-net service for Tasmanians experiencing vulnerability.”
The Public Trustee provides financial management services to more than 1300 Tasmanians each year, who are under an administration appointment by the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. The Public Trustee assists a further 1500 clients per year to prepare their estate planning documents or administer their estate.
“The process of talking and listening has now started, and it will become the cornerstone of how we do business as we move forward.
We have established a stakeholder Reference Group, but we also want to encourage all Tasmanians to have their say on redesigning the Public Trustee”, Mr Kennedy said.
The Public Trustee want to hear from their clients, their families, supporters, and friends. If you would like to personally meet with the CEO Todd Kennedy to share your views, please book your appointment time at your local branch via our contact form or call 1800 068 784.
Bookings will be essential – Todd will be available at the following locations and dates. Please let us know if you would prefer to meet online or over the phone.
Devonport – Thursday, 9th of June 2022
Launceston – Friday, 10th of June 2022
Hobart – Friday, 17th of June 2022
Or register your interest to be part of a future client reference group. Clients, carers and their families are at the centre of everything we do, gathering their feedback is essential to enable us to optimise service delivery and hear concerns. To register your interest please go to Client Reference group form or call 1800 068 784.
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On 25 May 2022, the Tasmanian Government released their response to the Independent Review of the Public Trustee Tasmania. Read the Government Response to the Independent Review of the Public Trustee Tasmania (PDF, 380.6 KB).
On 1 December 2021, the Tasmanian Government released the independent review into the administrative and operational practices of the Public Trustee. Read the Independent Review of the Public Trustee Tasmania – Report (PDF, 1.7 MB)