Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, imagine being under the control of a state appointed guardian or public trustee and not being allowed to grab an iced coffee for a treat or buy presents for the grandkids or replace your ill-fitting underwear. Sadly, this is the reality for many Australians. No wonder a Tasmanian inquiry concluded that the Public Trustee misunderstood their duties for the last 26 years or that Four Corners recently documented a number of injustices inflicted by public trustees across Australia. Prime Minister, do you agree that it's an inherent right to exercise as much control over your life as possible, and will you help develop a new national framework for supported decision-making?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. On the broad principle, of course, we want Australians to have the lives of their choice and the best possible life they can have. I'll ask the Minister representing the Attorney-General to deal specifically with the matters that you've raised.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the member for Clark for the question, and I thank the Prime Minister for the opportunity to expand on what the Prime Minister has already said to the House. The Morrison government, of course, strongly supports the right of individuals to exercise legal capacity. Where an individual requires support to exercise this capacity, it should be subject to appropriate safeguards to ensure that no abuse, exploitation or neglect occurs. The effective regulation of public trustees, which are creatures of state government, is therefore a matter, primarily, for state and territory governments. That being said, Commonwealth agencies do have a role to play in setting appropriate standards for the delivery of services to the Australian community. In that regard, the National Disability Insurance Agency recently commenced consultations on a new Support for Decision Making policy for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and the government looks forward to the progress of this important work.