WHILE the future of assets held in trust by the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst is essentially now in the hands of the courts, All Saints’ College head of school Dr Peter Miller is philosophical.
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He yesterday said the school was in a great financial position, and his only task is to ensure it continues to operate well.
Dr Miller said the All Saints’ College Council was responsible for the financial management of the school and the management of assets.
“We are separate financially from the Diocese. The College Council is responsible for our business affairs,” he said.
He said the school does report to the Diocese, however, because they are one of many Trusts that come under its umbrella.
There is currently discussion in the community over whether the Commonwealth Bank can force the sale of All Saints’ College to recover some of the debt owed by the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst. The Diocese has already sold one school in Orange and another in Dubbo.
Dr Miller said there are two questions that pertain to the management of Trusts in the Diocese.
“The first is whether a Trust can be varied – that’s the legal issue,” he said. It is a very complex issue about variations on Trusts and Trust property.
“The second question looks at what the implications are for the operation of the school.
“I can’t worry about that. My business is making sure this school continues to operate well and is financially strong.
“Whether anyone can vary the Trust, in this case the school, is up to the Supreme Court. That is a conversation that is happening somewhere else – I can’t change that.
“All I can do is ensure the school continues to thrive, and wait and see what happens in court over the next month.
“I need to ensure the school is in a strong position so the future is bright for a long time, regardless of who owns it.
“But again this is hypothetical because it is in the courts and no-one knows what the outcome will be,” he said.
Dr Miler said he attended a meeting for representatives of all parishes within the Diocese on Saturday.
He said it was a very positive meeting and very solution focused.
Dr Miller said one of the key discussions at the meeting was how the Anglican Church can continue to provide ministry in the Central West.
