Public Trustee

What Public Trustee does

Public Trustee is a South Australian government statutory agency, constituted as a body corporate under the Public Trustee Act 1995 and operating as a business unit within the Attorney-General's Department. Established in 1881, it provides a comprehensive suite of fiduciary and financial administration services to South Australian residents, including Will preparation, Enduring Power of Attorney, deceased estate administration, trust management, personal financial administration for protected persons (typically appointed by the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal or courts), funds management, taxation services, real estate management, litigation guardian services, and oversight of private administrators. The agency manages approximately $1.67B in customer assets and $1.23B in funds under administration, serving 4,621 personal estates and 1,206 trusts as at 30 June 2020.

The business model combines fee-for-service revenue (estate administration, trust management, and investment management fees of 1.025% per annum on Common Funds) with Community Service Obligation funding from the State Government ($4.315M in 2018-19) to support non-commercial services for vulnerable populations. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through a single Adelaide office at 211 Victoria Square, with telephone, online enquiry, and home-visit channels. Core technology comprises PeopleSoft CRM (with a planned replacement), a January 2019 call management system, Office 365, SharePoint, BPAY for payments, and ELMO for staff performance management.

The agency is undergoing structural contraction: from 1 July 2019, Will and POA services were restricted to eligible concession holders, and investment services for private investors are being phased out by 30 June 2021. The State Government has announced an intention to merge Public Trustee with the Office of the Public Advocate, pending legislative approval. The agency holds no subsidiaries, has no external investors, and operates exclusively within South Australia.

Name

Public Trustee

Legal name

Public Trustee

Website

https://publictrustee.sa.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Public Trustee is a South Australian government statutory agency, established in 1881, that provides fiduciary and financial administration services — including Will preparation, estate administration, trust management, and personal financial administration for protected persons — to eligible South Australian residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Fiduciary and Trustee Services

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiduciary Agency & Trustee-for-Hire Services (FSAAANAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Personal & Family Trust Services (FSAAANAA), Guardianship, Conservatorship & Special Needs Trust Services (FSAEAKAG), Guardianship & Conservatorship Services (FSAAANAG), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Estate administration
• Trust management
• Financial administration
• Will preparation
• Funds management

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Fees and Charges: Government fees charged for estate administration, trust management, and financial administration services. Reduced fee threshold for customers with smaller estates ($5,150 as of 2019-20).
2. Community Service Obligations: Government funding for non-commercial services including Managing the Affairs of the Disadvantaged (Personal Estates), Managing Small Trusts, Regulation of Private Administrators, and Litigation Guardianship Matters. CSO payment was $4.315 million in 2018-19.
3. Investment Management Fees: Management fee charged at rate of one-twelfth of 1.025% (inc. of GST) of the value of common funds as at the first business day of each month. Entry fees for investment services ranging from 0.5% to 1.0% depending on investor type and amount.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Public Trustee is a South Australian government statutory corporation providing fiduciary and financial administration services including Will preparation, Enduring Power of Attorney, deceased estate administration, trust management, and personal financial administration for individuals who have lost capacity. It also manages pooled Common Funds investments, taxation services for administered estates, real estate management, litigation guardian services, and oversight of private administrators appointed by SACAT and courts.

Product overview

The Public Trustee is a South Australian government statutory corporation providing comprehensive financial and administrative services. The organization operates as a unified service portfolio centered on trustee functions, offering Will preparation and Power of Attorney services, deceased estate administration, trust management, and personal financial administration for those who have lost capacity. Supporting core services include funds management (investment strategies and Common Funds), taxation services, real estate management, and oversight of private administrators. From July 2019, Will and Power of Attorney services became restricted to eligible concession holders and those under SACAT or court orders. The organization is funded through a Community Service Obligation framework and manages approximately $1.2 billion in customer funds under administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Will Making Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Customer satisfaction rating of 4.80 out of 5 for Will making services (2019-20)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Perpetual Limited: Australia's largest private trustee and wealth management group, offering estate planning, executor, and trustee services. Operates as a private-sector broad incumbent across the same fiduciary services categories, particularly competing for higher-value estates.
• Equity Trustees: Listed Australian trustee company providing estate administration, charitable trust management, and investment services. Competes with the Public Trustee for private executor appointments and trust mandates across Australia.
• Australian Executor Trustees: Australian trustee services provider offering estate and trust administration to private clients. Directly comparable service lines to the Public Trustee's commercial estate and trust administration work.
• National Australia Trustees (part of NAB): Trustee services business operated within National Australia Bank, providing estate planning and administration. Relevant as a bank-affiliated incumbent offering similar fiduciary services in the same Australian market.

Direct peers

• Office of the Public Advocate (SA): South Australian counterpart agency whose announced merger target provides guardianship, advocacy, and decision-making support for vulnerable adults. Direct operating overlap with the Public Trustee's protected-person financial administration work and current merger partner.
• NSW Trustee and Guardian: New South Wales statutory agency combining trustee, financial management, and guardianship functions for vulnerable adults. Directly comparable mandate scope and revenue model mix, and the recent OPA merger proposal at the SA Public Trustee mirrors historical structural changes at this peer.
• State Trustees (Victoria): Victorian state statutory body providing will preparation, executor, trustee, and financial administration services. Closest functional analog to the SA Public Trustee, operating under equivalent state legislation with the same combination of fee-based and CSO-funded services.
• Queensland Public Trustee: Queensland's equivalent statutory office providing deceased estate administration, trust management, and financial administration for people with impaired decision-making capacity. Operates under the same Community Service Obligation funding paradigm with directly comparable service lines.
• Public Trustee Tasmania: Tasmanian state statutory body providing executor, trustee, and financial administration services. Smaller jurisdiction analog with directly comparable product set and statutory monopoly on protected-person administration.
• Public Trustee Western Australia: Western Australian statutory agency delivering wills, estates, trusts, and protective financial administration. Same legal structure, single-state monopoly, and CSO-style funding model as the SA Public Trustee.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-trustee

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public Trustee