Nicole’s Christmas wish

8 August 2022

*name changed

The Public Trustee was appointed to support Nicole with her finances due to health concerns which prevented her from working and left her without the capacity to manage her finances on her own.

Nicole lived independently and had taken on a credit card and several small loans before she was referred to the Public Trustee. Unable to work, Nicole relied on Centrelink payments for her living expenses, and was unable to pay the credit card debt or the accruing interest.

Nicole’s Trust Officer was concerned that Nicole’s budget was in permanent deficit and her debt was rising. The Trust Officer made an application to Nicole’s bank to have the debt waived on Nicole’s behalf, based on her circumstances.

Nicole’s bank responded by waiving her credit card debt and cancelling the card. Several other small loans were also waived following applications to lenders. This made all the difference for Nicole, creating financial stability and security for Nicole’s financial future.

Within a year, Nicole’s budget was back in surplus and, that year, she was able to use some of her extra finances to purchase Christmas gifts for her family.