OPA Updates - August 2024

29 August 2024

Message from the Public Advocate

As I embark on the final months of my time as the Public Advocate, I have a busy schedule ahead.

OPA is actively responding to the Victorian Auditor General’s recommendations following an audit of our work. The office is also preparing the Annual Reports, as well as the Community Visitors Annual Report for tabling in Parliament.

OPA is also reviewing the final Commonwealth and State Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. It will take time to review the responses, and understand how it might impact our work and guardianship more generally.

I look forward to catching up with friends and colleagues in the sector before I officially leave OPA in October

Foundations for change

One of OPA's strategic priorities is to improve our services and accessibility for First Nations people and develop strategies that support culturally respectful relationships.

To this end, I am particularly looking forward to the upcoming launch of Foundations for change: OPA’s engagement with Aboriginal people with disability. This report aims to help us better understand recurring themes in the experiences of Aboriginal people with disability who OPA works with. It has a particular focus on OPA guardianship and includes next steps for service improvements and OPA’s systemic advocacy work.

I am delighted that Kyle Vander-Kuyp, Deputy Chair Connecting Home, will be joining us for the launch. Kyle is a proud Worimi and Yuin man and former Olympian, who has also worked extensively with the Stolen Generation.

Visit from Robert Fitzgerald AM

Earlier this month, I was delighted to welcome the new Aged Care Commissioner, Robert Fitzgerald AM, to my office. Aged care and elder abuse are 2 high priority areas for OPA.

Daniel Leighton, Robert Fitzgerald, Colleen Pearce

Deputy Public Advocate Daniel Leighton, Aged Care Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM, Public Advocate Colleen Pearce AM.

Elder abuse is a terrible and largely hidden problem in our society. While one in six older Australians experience abuse, just 39% will go on to seek help or advice. I welcome the current government campaign to increase community awareness on this issue.

In addition to physical abuse, elder abuse may involve psychological or emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse or neglect. Recent media reports highlight instances of financial abuse through the misuse of enduring powers of attorney, an issue OPA is monitoring closely.

Find out more at Making an enduring power of attorney.

Community Visitors Annual Meeting

The new Social Services Regulator, Jonathan Kaplan, was keynote speaker at the Community Visitors annual meeting held earlier this year in Carlton.

The meeting included presentations from each of the 3 Community Visitor Boards (Residential Services, Disability Services and Mental Health Services) and presentations to long-serving volunteers including:

Rosemary Shaw, Disability Services (25 years)
Chris Chapman, Disability Services (20 years)
Brian Kiley, Residential Services (20 years)
Ian McBeath, Disability Services (20 years)

Exploring alternatives to guardianship

OPA is using learnings from its recent Supported Discussions pilot project to identify opportunities to support a ‘step down’ from guardianship for people with disability who face barriers in transitioning out of guardianship.

It also aimed to reduce inappropriate applications for guardianship, by delivering information sessions on alternatives to guardianship to 664 people, primarily support coordinators, hospital social workers and others who commonly make guardianship applications.

The project, funded by the Department of Social Services from April 2023 until June 2024, recognised that guardianship limits a person’s human rights and should only be a last resort, when there is no other way to protect and promote their human rights.

In addition to the information sessions, the project produced 2 videos focusing on decision-making rights aimed at those who work with people with disability and provided short-term advocacy in 20 matters.

Read more: Supported Discussions Project - Office of the Public Advocate

Videos promote decision making as a human right

OPA has released 2 new videos focusing on decision making as a human right, and how all adults have the right to make decisions about how they live their life, and to be supported to do so.

These videos are part of the Supported Discussions Project, funded by the Department of Social Services.

Decision making: A human right

This video focuses on decision making as a human right.People with lived experience of disability, talk about how they can be supported to make their own decisions.

Decision making: Rights of people with disability

In this video, people with lived experience of disability, talk about how the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides everyone with equality before the law.

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