Page 2562 - Week 08 - Thursday, 30 August 2007
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Office is thereby at the forefront of professional Will-making and estate administration in the ACT.
According to its 2006 Annual Report, the Public Trustee also provides services in estate planning and management, personal asset management, powers of attorney, and tax return preparation – they prepared over 900 tax returns last year – as well as a range of statutory services.
Their trustee services are not available in any other public or private business in the ACT.
And they take their Community Service Obligations very seriously indeed, providing a range of services to those persons in the community who are either unable to manage their own affairs or, through reasons of hardship, do not have access to affordable trustee services in the private sector.
Mr Speaker, a particularly fine objective of the Office of the Public Trustee is to become financially independent of the government by 2010.
Through their careful financial management practices, the Office of the Public Trustee achieved a net operating surplus in 2006 of almost $500,000, which was nearly twice the level achieved the year before. The estimate outcome for 2006-07 is even higher, at $586,000.
Perhaps the government could learn a thing or two about financial management from the Office of the Public Trustee.
In all this, Mr Speaker, the Office of the Public Trustee is guided, governed and regulated by no less than 13 pieces of legislation. It is a formidable task indeed for a small organisation of only around 30 staff to be across such a long list.
Clearly, it can’t be avoided with the variety of work done by the Office of the Public Trustee, but it still represents a considerable roll of red tape for any business-focused organisation to have to face.
And yes, Mr Speaker, as a business-focused organisation, the Office of the Public Trustee advertises its services. But unlike the government and its recent political advertising for the budget, the Office of the Public Trustee advertises to inform the public of what it is and the range of services it offers.
Indeed, in the Estimates Hearings, the Public Trustee, Mr Andrew Taylor, when asked about why he advertises, responded that the Office of the Public Trustee had an identity problem. The public did not know what the Public Trustee was or did.
Their advertising program involved a re-branding for the organisation, establishment of a website and re-location of their offices with the assistance of a grant of $500,000 from the federal government. This was supported by some judicious advertising placement, including $10,000 worth of free advertising, along with developing useful links with other relevant organisations.
In addition, the Office of the Public Trustee established and is the trustee for the Capital Region Community Foundation. It is otherwise known as the Greater Good Foundation and is chaired by the former President of the Senate, the Hon Margaret Reid.
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