It was entirely unsatisfactory for the Federal Government to refuse to commit to help establish a national framework for supported decision-making when I put the question to the Prime Minister in Question Time.
Both a recent Tasmanian inquiry and a Four Corners report have made it abundantly clear that guardians and public trustees across the country are failing to effectively and compassionately discharge their duties.
Yes, such agencies are the responsibility of the state and territory governments. But the only way to turn this around and bring consistent national standards is for the Commonwealth to step in and lead reform. That the Federal Government isn’t prepared to do this, isn’t just a missed opportunity, but a failure of governance at the highest level.
Making matters worse was the mischievous way in which the Government claimed to be on the job because some work was being done on better supported decision making for NDIS clients. But this was a misleading response because a great many people under the control of state guardians and trustees simply have nothing to do with the NDIS.