Publisher's Note: WBT posts this story from Queensland Public Trustee Exposed to draw attention to how government departments responsible for the elderly and vulnerable are outsourcing decision making to private agencies making profits for their owners and shareholders. - Ian Curr, October 2015
__oOo__
Carl, Ross to his friends, came under the control of the Queensland public guardian and the public trustee following gross financial abuse by a friend who claimed to have EPOA (enduring power of attorney). He had been stripped of his assets that he had worked hard to acquire and to provide for his own care in his later years.
Carl is now 82. The guardian requested an ACAT assessment. These assessments could be obtained to suit the purposes of those requesting them. High care? Low care? Do you want placement in an aged care facility? Dementia? False reports ordered by the public guardian in conjunction of the public trustee.
Carl was living in his own home with an unpaid carer/friend. The house was clean and tidy. Carl was being encouraged to be independent. Progress was being made to improving quality of life…exercising, memory, nutritious food, preparation of meals, travelling known bus route to meet friends. Carl walked daily to the shopping centre 100 meters down the road where he would read the papers, The Australian and the Courier mail. He would talk with shopkeepers and friends who had been his family for years. Official “care agency” workers call this “wandering” and is viewed negatively in and ACAT assessment. Why?
Carl was placed in a RSL Tantula Rise, in a high care dementia ward. A facility at Alexandra Headlands, approximately 100 kms from his home at Sunnybank. There was no consultation with his friends who had been socialising with Carl on a daily basis, the people who provided consistency in actions and able to assess progress in a consistent manner.
An independent assessments arranged by Carl’s friends has been ignored. Carl has a strong group of friends who have been a positive network over a period of time varying from seven years to two and half years. The public trustee ordered a report by one of their own staff. Staff at RSL complied with the trustees request…negative reports. Totally opposite to the independent report.
On the 28th August, the public guardian kindly provided Carl’s friends with reports, inviting comments to enable them to make their decision as to Carl returning home or remaining in RSL Tantula Rise. The guardian then provided correspondence in late September, advising that the decision had been made on the 25th August. No mistake … the dates are correct. Carl is to stay at RSL Tantula Rise.
And we are supposed to respect these government agencies. The public trustee took no action against those who had stolen Carl’s assets. The police have been informed and have taken no action. A federal government water tank grant obtained by the power of attorney, but the tank never installed.
A property owned by Mr. Taylor at West End for the local community was sold for $970k when there was an offer and valuation for $2.5 million. The public trustee received this offer and sanctioned the sale. Why? Why? Why?
The guardian is tax payer funded. They are supposed to be independent. From my experience the decision has already been made by the care facility who are making the profit from any and all the residents within their facility.
The federal government grant is tax payer funded. Why do we keep funding these gross abuses? Why was action not taken by the police to bring about justice? Who stopped the process?
The public trustee say they are self funded. Not true!! People placed under their “administration” fund the abuses sanctioned by their self made laws. They do not provide invoices. They lack transparency in their conduct. What has the public trustee got to hide?
Whilst this story is extremely concerning and the events described therein should never have been allowed to happen in an ostensibly ‘civilized’ country, it is in fact merely one of many comparable events in which the utterly despicable Public Trustee caused considerable detriment to those unfortunate enough to fall into its clutches.
To add insult to injury, the Public Trustee is aided and abetted by the totally pointless Adult Guardian and the moronic kangaroo court (officially QCAT) which funnels a steady stream of unwitting victims to the avaricious Public Trustee where any assets they had are systematically stripped.
Not only are any assets of victims plundered to support the extremely top heavy and hopelessly inefficient Public Trustee, but the families and support networks of victims are intentionally destroyed as a result of decisions made by the kangaroo court quasi-judges. Note also that lost cause ex Chief Justice Carmody is presently warming a kangaroo court seat, hopeful of being anointed as the boss of the circus.
A number of successive state governments have pandered to these evil entities by maintaining strict secrecy laws supposedly intended to protect vulnerable people, however these same laws are exploited by the Public Trustee to limit communication between victims.
Mind you the intimidation and victimization typically practiced by Public Trustee goons on victims generally deters most from telling their stories anyway. In theory there are a number of watchdogs which exercise jurisdiction over the kangaroo court, the Adult Guardian and the Public Trustee, however they are either disinterested, powerless, or merely sham organizations intended to provide a pretence of accountability.
Firstly, we have the Public Advocate,the Queensland Ombudsman and the Crime and Corruption Commission. None of these actually DO anything except find excuses why they should not take action.
Secondly we have the Legal Services Commission which supposedly keeps lawyers in line (most Public Trustee operatives being lawyers).
The only thing is that the LSC refuses to get involved with public sector lawyers. This is VERY interesting as it raises the question of why some Attorney General in times past setup this protection racket, and why later Attorneys General have allowed it to continue.
Thirdly, we have the judicial system including the Chief Justice which certainly has jurisdiction over the kangaroo court but which refuses to take an interest in its shenanigans.
Fourthly we have a Queensland Governor who in his previous life as Chief Justice was particularly wordy about who was a ‘fit and proper person’ to be admitted to practice law. Seems the clown has a very selective attitude to the ‘fit and proper’ bit as he has yet to display a comparable interest in the probity of the judicial system, and particularly so in the case of the kangaroo court. I note that most quasi-judges have been awarded Order of Australia medals despite the damage they have inflicted on their victims, which raises the question of what nether regions they have kissed to receive said awards.
In conclusion, its clear that the rot extends through all levels of the system. I suggest that the Public Trustee, whilst unquestionably evil, is merely the tip of the iceberg.