Call for Trustee inquiry

Lawyers push Tweed pollies to launch investigation after pensioner death

THE tragic death of a disabled pensioner found in squalid conditions after a NSW Government agency failed to approve repairs to his Kingscliff home has triggered calls for an inquiry.

Attwood Marshall Lawyers has sent a letter to all Tweed Heads and Coffs Harbour political candidates urging them to commit to an inquiry.

The Bulletin reported in late January that Steven Colley had spent the final months of his life in a Kingscliff home that was falling down around him after a failed decade-long battle to get the NSW Trustee and Guardian to approve repairs.

The 57-year-old’s body was so decomposed when discovered in July last year that the Coroner could not determine the cause of death.

After the story was published and Attwood Marshall threats of legal action, the Trustee and Guardian waived fees totalling $31,876 for commissions for managing the estate.

Legal practice director Jeffrey Garrett has lobbied sitting MPs and candidates ahead of the election to commit to an inquiry if they win at the March 23 poll.

“Steven’s sad story is the human face of a systematic failure of the NSW Trustee and Guardian which needs to be investigated,” Mr Garrett said.

“We have dealt with the government agency for many years and over time have experienced first hand a litany of incidents constituting a longterm pattern of neglect, maladministration and mismanagement of the affairs of those most vulnerable in our society.

“We have also experienced similar issues with the inhouse legal section of NSW Trustee and Guardian, involving long periods of delay in responding to correspondence, failure to adhere to court timetables, and generally being obstructive and uncooperative in legal matters.

“This increases legal costs significantly for all parties and many families are financially and emotionally distressed by this deliberate conduct.”

Michael Beehag, executor of Mr Colley’s estate, backed the call for an inquiry.

“I am proud for Steven that in death his story may assist others in avoiding a similar fate,” he said.

In the 2017-2018 financial year, NSWTG processed $3.3 billion worth of transactions, held $5.9 billion in client assets and made revenue of $92 million, which was 14.5 per cent over budget. Almost 12,000 people had NSWTG as their financial manager after court rulings in conflict cases.

Mr Garrett said Attwood Marshall Lawyers had received hundreds of emails, social media messages and phone calls from other clients and their families.