The Queensland government has ordered an internal investigation of the Public Trustee after allegations vulnerable people have been charged exorbitant fees without their knowledge were aired on TV.
Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman says the Public Trustee has asked the Customer Advocate to probe its systems and practices after a report on the ABC's Four Corners program on Monday night.
"I have spoken to the Public Trustee this morning and I can advise the house I am happy to table the findings of that review once finalised," Ms Fentiman told parliament.
Four Corners aired complaints that people with impaired mental capacity due to dementia, brain injuries or intellectual disabilities were being charged huge fees, often without their knowledge.
The ABC was only able to broadcast the program after a number of court challenges against gag laws that stop people from speaking out, and threaten journalists with jail time if they identify victims.
Ms Fentiman said the Public Trustee has referred the cases of three complainants - Chris Pearson, Clinton Vandenberg and Peter Ristic - for independent review.
"I take the stories of Mr Pearson, Mr Vandenberg and Mr Ristic featured in last night's Four Corners story very seriously," she said.
"Their experiences are unacceptable for any Queenslander."
However, there have been serious concerns about the practices of the Public Trustee for more than a year after a damning report was released by the state's Public Advocate Mary Burgess in January 2021.
It revealed serious issues with the high fees the agency charged to clients, an overall lack of transparency and the Public Trustee's "use of client funds to earn revenue".
The report also said the agency was charging some clients management fees when it invested their money in its own financial products, on which they had already paid asset management fees.
The Public Trustee's fee structure "cannot be viewed as encouraging or supporting them to develop self-reliance or participate in community life and decisions affecting their lives", the report added.
The government did not renew Ms Burgess' contract as Public Advocate after she released that damning report.
Ms Fentiman said on Tuesday the Public Trustee had since introduced a new framework to ensure its decisions considered the human rights of individual clients.
She tabled a La Trobe University report into the framework, which authors said "has had a positive impact on their (the Public Trustee's) practice".
The attorney-general said the new Public Trustee Samay Zhouand had ended agency practices such as charging customers for legal fees when they complain, and opposing clients applying for financial independence.
Ms Fentiman said a review of the Public Trustee's fees and charges was also due to be completed in June and legislation before parliament would set up a new advisory and monitoring board for the agency.
