Your supported personal and financial decisions

You can give your supportive attorney authority to support you in different ways.

For example, so they are able to:

• get information about you from other people or organisations (such as your bank, or electricity provider)
• tell other people and organisations a decision you have made or information about a decision you have made
• do things so your decision can happen, for example, making phone calls to organise services that you decide you want.

A supportive attorney cannot support you to act on a decision about a significant financial transaction (for example, buying or selling a house).

Nor do they have authority to support you to make and give effect to decisions about medical treatment (unless they are also your medical support person).

Some people cannot be your supportive attorney (for example, your care worker, or health or accommodation provider).

A supportive attorney appointment does not have effect during any period that you do not have decision-making capacity for the matters.

How to appoint a supportive attorney

1. Choose someone you trust, who respects your rights and independence

You can appoint more than one supportive attorney. If you do, each supportive attorney acts separately.

2. Choose what types of decisions you want support to make

You can give your supportive attorney authority to:

• access, collect or obtain information
• assist you to access, collect or obtain information

from organisations such as banks, Centrelink and utility providers.

You can also give your supportive attorney authority to:

• communicate your decisions
• take any reasonable action to give effect to your decisions.

3. Complete the form

An interactive supportive attorney appointment form has been created by the Department of Justice & Community Safety.

To appoint one supportive attorney use the short form. To appoint more than one, use the long form. Alternatively, find the short version of the form in the OPA booklet Side by Side.

Ending and cancelling the appointment

A supportive attorney appointment ends if:

• you revoke (cancel) the appointment
• the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) revokes the power
• you die
• the supportive attorney dies, where you do not have an alternative supportive attorney (a back-up).

Your supportive attorney’s role also ends if:

• they resign
• they are no longer eligible to be your supportive attorney
• they no longer have the decision-making capacity to support you or
• VCAT revokes their appointment.

Below is a checklist with some things to think about before you sign. It is not a complete list, but is to help you think carefully before you sign.

If there is a question you do not feel able to answer, you may wish to get more information.

☐ Have you thought about the benefits and risks of appointing someone who can support you to make a decision?

For example:

☐ Do they have the skills, time and interest to support you?

☐ Are you comfortable with them accessing personal information to support you?