Queensland Public Trustee as your administrator or financial attorney
We act as a financial administrator when we are appointed by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) or the court to provide support to people with impaired capacity to make financial decisions.
Our job as financial administrator is to work in partnership with our customers regarding their financial matters, to provide security and support. We are experienced in financial administration and meeting the diverse needs of Queenslanders.
Customers may choose to nominate Queensland Public Trustee as their financial attorney in their enduring power of attorney. When we act as a financial attorney, the services we provide are similar to our role as a financial administrator appointed by QCAT.
Find out more about what financial administration means and who it’s for.
Ways we support our customers
As with all our services, we provide independent assistance and impartial support that respects the needs, rights and dignity of our customers. Administrators can provide support across a range of financial matters. At Queensland Public Trustee, we have a customer-focussed team supported by taxation, investments, property, government benefits, disability support, legal and financial experts. This means we can manage all financial matters for our customers including:
- financial planning and budgeting
- managing income, investments and insurances
- paying bills
- managing tax and superannuation
- providing legal services related to financial matters
- managing property including valuations, sales, insurance, rent, mortgage payments, repairs and maintenance
- managing business interests
- managing vehicle insurance, registration and maintenance costs.
How we work with our customers
When Queensland Public Trustee is appointed as an administrator, our customer team supports the customer with their financial decision making.
We can be contacted by phone, or the customer can meet with a team member in person at one of our offices. Our customer team is the central point of contact for everything our customers need. They work with specialist units to support the customer with their financial matters.
Working in partnership with our customers, we:
- seek to understand and consider our customer’s views, wishes and preferences
- work to safeguard assets and protect our customers from financial abuse, exploitation and neglect
- make decisions that are least restrictive of our customer’s rights, interests and opportunities
- seek to act and make decisions which promote the rights, interests and opportunities of our customers
- actively encourage and support customers to make their own financial decisions to the extent possible.
If you want more information about our financial administration services and how we support our customers, contact our customer team or access our factsheets below.
A guide to the Personal Financial Administration factsheet
How we help manage the money for our customers—Easy read guide for financial administration customers
They help me to be financially independent as much as possible.
Helping customers wanting greater control of their money and financial independence
We have a Financial Independence Pathway program which has been designed to support our customers to get back some or full control of their own finances.
The Financial Independence Pathway program is tailored to the goals and needs of our customers and includes regular reviews of progress throughout the program. We can also help with referral pathways to programs that support customers to improve their financial knowledge. The Financial Independence Pathway program generally takes about 12 months.
To regain full control of personal finances, QCAT requires the completion of an ‘Application for a declaration about capacity’. Information about this application can be found on the QCAT website.
We will help our customers to gather the information required to complete this application as part of the program. Those who choose to apply will also need a medical report from a medical professional. When QCAT receives the application, a hearing is usually held to decide the outcome of the application.
For people who would like to regain control over some parts of their finances (but perhaps not all parts), completing this application to QCAT is not required. We will help customers via the program to take up the financial responsibilities that make sense for them.
If you want more information about the Financial Independence Pathway program, contact our team or access our factsheets and guidelines below:
How we will make decisions with our customer
Once we are appointed by QCAT to be an administrator, we will contact our customer and the people who support them, to explain what we do and how we will work with the customer.
We follow a structured decision-making framework that is designed to ensure we make decisions on behalf of our customers that respect and promote their rights, interests and opportunities. We aim to know our customers and understand their goals and needs. Throughout our administration, we will seek the views, wishes and preferences of our customers about decisions that need to be made.
This structured decision-making framework is embedded into our everyday practices to support stronger customer engagement through decision-making that is founded in the views, wishes and preferences of our customers, in consultation with their support networks.
Queensland Public Trustee has adopted this framework across all our service areas. Find out more information about our Structured Decision-Making Framework.
Our financial administration service fees
Queensland Public Trustee is committed to providing our customers with clear and transparent information about our fees and charges.
Our fees reflect the level of support and service we provide to each individual customer, and we will tell the customer in the beginning how much our fees may be.
Rebates of our fees are applied in certain circumstances where our customers have limited means to pay the full cost of our financial administration services. Find out more about our fees and charges for financial administration.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
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Investment options are tailored to the individual circumstances of the customer, and we obtain independent financial advice to aid these decisions. One option will be the Queensland Public Trustee Growth Trust. This investment fund provides a fully diversified investment strategy for those seeking long-term income and capital growth. Find out more details on the Growth Trust and other investment information.
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Customers or their support network can make an application to QCAT for a review of the appointment of Queensland Public Trustee as the administrator. QCAT can then consider whether it is necessary to continue with our appointment or whether someone else could be appointed as the administrator. A customer can also make an application with QCAT for a declaration about capacity. QCAT will then consider the capacity of the customer to administer their financial matters. A customer will need to lodge medical evidence to support their application.
For further information about applying to QCAT, please contact one of our team. We will be able to provide information about what you can do to have our appointment reviewed or to seek a declaration about capacity. We can talk to our customers about our Financial Independence Pathway program, if appropriate, or we can refer our customers to an independent service that can support and assist them through the QCAT process. You can also have a look at the information on the QCAT website.
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A customer can contact us, and one of our team members can provide this information to the customer. We will send the customer statements periodically so they will be able to see how much money they have and the transactions that occurred in the previous period.
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A customer can download an application form from the National Redress Scheme, and it can be sent directly to them. The customer can have support services such as Knowmore (a free legal service) or Lotus Place assist them with completing and lodging the application.
Alternatively, the customer can contact the National Redress Scheme Unit at Queensland Public Trustee on 1300 362 537 for assistance.
Find out more about the scheme or phone the National Redress Scheme on 1800 737 377. The following resources are available to provide additional information about the Scheme.
There is other support available for people who have experienced child sexual abuse in institutional settings including:
Lotus Place, a dedicated support service and resource centre for Forgotten Australians—phone (07) 3347 8500.
CLAN, a national support and advocacy service for Forgotten Australians. Phone 1800 008 774.
Knowmore, for people considering their options, free legal advice and information about the justice or redress pathways available to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse—Phone 1800 605 762.
If immediate assistance is required, 24-hour assistance is available through:
Lifeline—phone 13 11 14
1800Respect—phone 1800 737 732
MensLine Australia—phone 1300 789 978 -
A QCAT examiner is someone who examines private administrators’ accounts. This is a service provided by Queensland Public Trustee.
Upon completing the examination of accounts, a report is prepared and submitted to QCAT. An invoice for payment of Queensland Public Trustee's fee for the service is sent to the private administrator for payment from the person’s funds. Should you select Queensland Public Trustee as your preferred examiner, accounts are to be submitted on the approved forms and forwarded to:
Public Trustee of Queensland Administration Accounts Assistance
GPO Box 1449
BRISBANE QLD 4001If you have other questions about this service, you can phone us on 1300 360 044 (free call) or (07) 3564 2148.