ɫ������

Deceased estate, disability services slashed as jobs cut & offices closed in Trustee restructure

Deceased estate, disability services slashed as jobs cut & offices closed in Trustee restucture 14 October 2015 (PDF version)

ɫ������MEDIA RELEASE

One third of the workforce at the Trustee and Guardian is to be slashed and offices across the state closed impacting heavily on tens of thousands of families and our ageing population said the Public Service Association (PSA).

The Attorney General announced that the equivalent of 162 full time jobs would be cut.

Offices statewide will be reduced with Armidale, Bathurst, Broken Hill, Gosford, Bankstown, Penrith, Burwood, Chatswood, Hurstville, Liverpool and Miranda all closing.

Staffing will also be reduced in Lismore, Wollongong and Sydney.

“The workforce at Trustee and Guardian is already suffering from work overload and the Attorney General’s response to this has been to cut staff by one third,” said ɫ������Assistant General Secretary, Steve Turner.

“These cuts will amount to a reduction of services for those with some form of disability who are unable to manage their own affairs as well as a decrease in service in relation to the management of deceased estates.”

“Once again, this Government is stepping away from its moral obligation and duty of care to the state’s most disadvantaged and incredibly are doing so in the face of our increasingly ageing population.”

“NSWTG provides financial management services to people who may have a mental illness, a brain injury, intellectual disability, psychiatric disability or dementia.”

“These people are totally unconcerned with the Baird administration’s desire to build monuments to its reign such as the revamp of Circular Quay, new sporting stadiums and increasing the city’s skyscraper skyline, they’re just trying to make it through the day in an increasingly complex world.”

“That struggle just become a whole lot more difficult. This Government has its priorities all wrong, yet again.”

“But it’s not just the scale of the job cuts that is an enormous concern but the office closures in country areas where access is already an issue.”

“This is a Government that trumpets its alleged service credentials but in reality is cutting back community access by closing offices and then establishing new offices often inaccessible distances from the original sites,” said Steve Turner.