Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability: Sydney public hearings this past week. Sue Nunn who was on the ABC 7.30 report in March made a verbal submission this week. Past and future hearing can be found at https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/public-hearings/our-public-hearings.
CRIKEY: is doing more reports. NDIS has been a focus and stories are expected by beginning of December 2022.
Public Trustee: CCC has appealed to the high court concerning allegations against Peter Carne…. hearing 15th December.
The Queensland Court of Appeal decision — which was handed down earlier this month – will prevent a CCC report which investigated allegations of corrupt conduct against Mr Carne from being released.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-19/public-trustee-ccc-pccc-peter-carne-appeal-high-court/101350400
Advocacy Tasmania: Leanne Groombridge has been getting results in Tasmania. Presently government funded, which raises the question of conflict of interest and what happens if she makes too many comments against the trustee/guardian.
Karen and family have a matter in QCAT in Toowoomba …waiting on date. Application to be guardian/administrators for sister with a disability.
Legislation: says “suspected abuse must be reported” therefore any staff, social workers etc are primary reporters of their suspicions.
Meetings of the committee in 2023 January 21 February 25 March 25 April 29 May 27 June 24
July 29 August 26 September 30 October 28 November 25
Rosslyn Price
26 Nov 2022
More info – https://exposethepublictrustee.wordpress.com/
Peter Fray made a bad mistake but Anne Connolly’s mistake is far more serious. The outburst by Peter Fray of Crikey at the Walkley Awards was most unfortunate to say the least. We were aware of the ABC’s Anne Connolly’s plans of doing an exposé on Public Trustees as far back as May 2019. However, when this still had not eventuated two years later, Crikey’s Amber Schultz carried out her own research and investigations which resulted in her own very fine series, Kidnapped by the State, being published in September 2021. She followed this up with further reports earlier this year.
There is no question the Four Corners exposé on Public Trustees resulted in a much wider section of the Australian community being made aware that the Public Trustees are not to be trusted. Their lack of compassion or respect for their clients was aptly illustrated in the case stories Four Corners presented. Anne Connolly and her team can take full credit for this. It was certainly a very significant programme despite some missed opportunities.
What was puzzling to many of our members, however, was the heavy promotion the Melbourne based advocacy group AASGAA was given on the Four Corners exposé when it had been the Committee to Expose the Public Trustee of Qld and Advocacy Tasmania which had been responsible for having the Public Trustees’ conduct in their respective states placed under the public spotlight. Leanne Groombridge, Advocacy Tasmania’s CEO, in particular has been relentless in her efforts to have the Public Trustee in her state made more accountable. What she is doing for Tasmania will ultimately affect what happens over the rest of Australia. She has been an outstanding advocate for our cause.
The Committee to Expose the Public Trustee of Qld, on the other hand, was totally ignored by Four Corners despite three of the four case stories presented in the exposé involving the Public Trustee of Qld (PTQ). It was the Qld advocacy group that exposed the alleged corruption at PTQ forcing the early termination of its then CEO’s contract and which led to Four Corners putting its focus heavily on Qld.
AASGAA did finance the public meeting held on the Gold Coast but it relied heavily on the support of the Qld group for its success. However, what was far more concerning was Four Corners promotion of AASGAA as a grassroots advocacy group when its connections are with extreme right wing conspiracy theorists such as Karen Brewer whose illegal anti vaccine/anti lockdown rallies held during the pandemic were supported and promoted by AASGAA. AASGAA is also closely affiliated with TS Radio which called on AASGAA’s members to take up armaments against our law enforcers brought in to break up their illegal rallies.
Many of our supporters were shocked by the call and were further surprised that the ABC would then go and promote a group which is closely affiliated with these extremists. Anne Connolly was made aware of AASGAA’s connections with extremist organisations prior to the Four Corners exposé going to air. She was also advised of TS Radio’s call to AASGAA’s members to take up arms against the authorities. AASGAA’s leader was on the programme at the time and did not object to the call or express horror at such a proposal being put to her members. We find it very concerning that the ABC should promote AASGAA under the circumstances as it certainly raises the possibility that somebody drawn to AASGAA through the ABC might actually take up TS Radio’s call.
Quite bluntly, there was never any need for the ABC to be promoting AASGAA in the first place. We believe Anne Connolly and Amber Schultz are both equally deserving of recognition for their stories exposing the Public Trustees.
However, Anne Connolly made a very serious error of judgement in promoting AASGAA as a grassroots advocacy group on Four Corners when it actually represents the most extreme elements of our movement.
Yes, Peter Fray made a bad mistake with his outburst at the Walkley Awards. However, Anne Connolly made an even greater mistake with the potential for her mistake to have far more serious consequences by her promotion of AASGAA to such a wide audience.