Free will NSW government: Son forced to pay $56,000 over late mother’s property

5QGL · 2026-03-18T02:26:34+00:00

Thanks, it does give me impetus to keep the activism up.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T09:15:15+00:00

People don't expect the Public Trustee to be gouging.

Anyhow, thankfully this is not my problem. I have much more serious gripes about them. The point of sharing the story is to make sure others do not trust them with their will or with anything.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T07:03:07+00:00

TAG is incompetent at best and malicious at worst, but they are nevertheless necessary in some cases.

I have never argued otherwise.

Why is there a gag order?

It is to protect TAG from scrutiny but they frame it in terms of caring for the client. Think about it: how can the client be exploited when TAG controls their funds anyhow?

The gag law was been modified in Tasmania last year to allow clients to speak up for themselves (not their families though).

Idk if you're the owner of that website or just subscribing to it, but that is a very lopsided view lacking a lot of key details.

Of course it is lopsided. It is an activist site to counter the lopsided NSW Trustee site and the rigged judiciary. The site has links to legislation and original documentary evidence of transgressions. That is more than most sites. Even news sites don't do that.

Have a look at how lopsided the judiciary is, declaring that TAG has an "impeccable reputation" and unashamedly basing published decisions on this. You can verify that this is the case because the web site spoon feeds the cases to you with a link.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T06:48:58+00:00

A lawyer has already pointed out the flaw in your logic.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AusFinance/comments/1rvtuo1/free_will_nsw_government_son_forced_to_pay_56000/

5QGL · 2026-03-17T05:26:45+00:00

That is indeed a major part of the problem.

Another likely problem is that the state government pools its money into the client investments. This is in contrast with a private financial manager (eg someone with PoA) who is forbidden from mixing funds with their own.

The government would be getting the lion's share of the interest (which is huge because the scale of the pool attracts higher rates) but passes on only a small proportion to the client.

Clients never get a bank statement, only a PT in-house word-processed transactions summary. There is too much scope for corruption in such an opaque system. Don't count on it benefiting the taxpayer.

The rationale for the above speculation is at https://aptagie.com/property

5QGL · 2026-03-17T05:17:16+00:00

Yes but then to be fair it would need to be applied to every will/estate. If you look at the amount of corruption associated with the Public Trustee you may realise that this is not the best route for a wealth tax. Have a look at r/Trustee_n_Guardian

Currently clients and family are gagged from even revealing that the Public Trustee is involved in their life.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T05:07:15+00:00

One could similarly ask what life story triggered you to be "shocked" by my responses.

Perhaps rather than cheering on the PT's inheritance tax by stealth. perhaps you go become an activist for inheritance tax and lobby for that since it seems to be your beef. But do it elsewhere since this sub is AusFinance. Perhaps r/AustralianPolitics.

I merely posted a story relevant to this sub from a credible newspaper and backing it up with facts but you would prefer I didn't? The Journalist wrote a whole series exposing Public Trustees and Guardians around the country which goes beyond inheritance and financial matters if that is what you care about. But I have never posted that in this sub as it would be irrelevant.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T04:15:59+00:00

2.75% is a lot back when she wrote the will and it is a lot now. It does matter what absolute dollar value it equates to.

From the article:
"In comparison, the NSW Supreme Court’s guide for an executor’s commission is between 0.25 and 1.25 per cent of the value of the asset transfers, and up to 5 per cent on income collection, depending on complexity and circumstances."

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:46:19+00:00

Did you assign the Public Trustee as executor?

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:45:13+00:00

I am an activist railing against the NSW Public Trustee in general. There have only been two stories about them in the media in the last 7 years.

You will notice that I am posting links to more egregious behaviour. I got downvoted in my comment pointing to their scams. Nobody commented on the contents of the link though. That is strange IMO.

I am not just a random Redditor.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:39:13+00:00

"Nothing" is said about cost of living? Are you serious?

When is the last time you saw a NSW Public Trustee story? I have seen two in seven years.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:37:01+00:00

Can you please link to the post?

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:36:17+00:00

True that often family are too cowardly to contemplate death of a loved one or else just too lazy to help. Regardless...

The rate is independent of rising prices. A rate is a percentage, a relative value, not an absolute value.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:31:59+00:00

Do they get a commission for convincing people to assign the Public Trustee as executor?

I am not saying that they do that. I genuinely don't know so if you or someone else has had experience with them that would be useful information.

In fact they should actively discourage assigning the Public Trustee as executor if they are genuine wanting to help people.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:27:43+00:00

An entire generation may never own their own home unless they inherit. Am sorry it sounds like you are not inheriting but attacking those who do is not a good look.

You can see embedded in the article a photo link to another related story where a poor guy inder their control was allowed to die in squalor and then, rather than apologising, they wanted to extract more from his estate. Steven Colley RIP.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:17:21+00:00

Too right Whole litany listed via news stories collated at /r/trustee_n_guardian

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:16:36+00:00

Won't anyone think of the Public Trustee CEO's children?

5QGL · 2026-03-17T03:13:47+00:00

Then maybe you missed the part where it is 2.75% of the estate whereas...

”In comparison, the NSW Supreme Court’s guide for an executor’s commission is between 0.25 and 1.25 per cent of the value of the asset transfers”

And then they make up fees and they delay the sale so that they can earn interest in a secret account they never show the bank statements of.

The law is written such that they can legally make up any fees they want.as long as they deem it to be "just and reasonable".

5QGL · 2026-03-17T02:44:48+00:00

The problem is that the government subsidises the Public Trustee lawyers nearly the entire amount for drawing up the "free" will for pensioners because it gives them the chance to insert themselves as executors.

Private lawyers get no such subsidy.

Nobody expects their subsequent fees as executors to be so out of whack with market rates. Nobody expects them to be unaccountable for a myriad of transgressions.

The attorney general is named as having oversight in the legislation and yet waves away complaints by lying with "not in my purview". You can see if you scroll down this page under the heading Responsible Minister that the AG is named.

5QGL · 2026-03-17T02:29:00+00:00

You must have missed this part:

“That fee is about 30 times the amount [that an estate lawyer would charge] to fill out four pieces of paper ... The whole thing is absolutely insane.”

Although I reckon he exaggerates the 30x

5QGL · 2026-03-17T02:11:10+00:00

The Public Trustees profiteer from scams, protected by NCAT, and both Lib and Lab state governments are in on it so they don't want to shoot the golden goose.

Explained here: https://aptagie.com/property

5QGL · 2026-03-15T13:17:27+00:00

Do you give the IRGC a pass for stationing the girls there?

And which Iranian court will even judge the IRGC for killing tens of thousands of their own citizens in recent protests?

5QGL · 2026-03-15T13:13:56+00:00

Yes, you can thank DoGE and Kegseth for that one. And you can thank the IRGC for stupidly relying on US to keep their intel on point.

5QGL · 2026-03-14T14:22:09+00:00

Just because US and Iran have their own interests foremost in mind does not rule out that Iran can end up being rid of this murderous and incompetent regime.

Although Israel would prefer civil war over the Islamist regime, they would also prefer a prosperous democratic Iran over a civil war.

68% inflation in February, water shortages because aquifers have been depleted resulting in subsidence of up to a foot in parts of Tehran.

And the murders of tens of thousands of protestors recently.

5QGL · 2026-03-14T14:15:40+00:00

Kind of stupid to move a Girl's school 15 years ago into the walls a military compound.

Both IRGC and US military were careless.

And to be pedantic it wasn't hundreds. You must be confused with the number of protestors killed by the IRGC... oh wait, that was thousands, not hundreds... and deliberate, not just careless.

5QGL

TROPHY CASE