An independent inquiry into fundraising by the NSW branch of the RSL and its charitable trust, which owns Not For Profit aged care provider RSL LifeCare, has heard its directors authorised the payments without saying what they were for, the ABC reports.
RSL LifeCare, which has 7,500 residents in 24 retirement villages and 26 nursing homes across NSW, does not pay its directors, but consulting fees were allowed.
The inquiry was launched in May by the NSW Govt’s Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Matt Kean after a KordaMentha investigation commissioned by the RSL last year found a number of financial irregularities.
At the time, Mr Kean said: “These are serious complaints and the fact that they’ve allegedly been committed in the name of one of our oldest and most respected institutions is totally unacceptable.”
In a statement issued to residents, clients and staff last week, Chairman Andrew Condon reassured them that RSL LifeCare is in a “solid financial position” with “strong safeguards to protect the money you have invested in your accommodation.”
