The Office of the Public Guardian turns 4!
On the 28th of July 2016, the Guardianship of Adults Act 2016 came into force and with it the dawn of a new era in guardianship in the Northern Territory.
The Act aligned the Northern Territory with other guardianship jurisdictions in Australia, establishing the independent Office of the Public Guardian and statutory position of Public Guardian, transferring jurisdiction for guardianship matters from the Local Court to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal and introducing comprehensive guardianship principles.
The last four years have seen some incredible achievements including:
- Transfer of financial management orders to the Public Trustee
- Transfer to new host agency Department of Attorney-General and Justice
- Increased support to private and joint guardians
- Provision of guardianship information to Territorians
- Undertaking community consultations
- Successfully transitioned all eligible represented persons to the NDIS
- Shift to supported decision-making
- Development and introduction of a comprehensive client information database
Thank you to all our staff and supporters, without you we would not have accomplished all that we have. We look forward to continuing to work together to achieve the best outcomes for people with impaired decision-making capacity.