Kay Patterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Ferris. I want to give credit to the staff of the department. It has not been easy. We do not want to drive a truck through this. We all know that, when you have a measure, there will be people who try to scam it. I will be watching very closely and I will be appalled if anybody tries to scam this measure. This measure is meant for people who have limited or no testamentary capacity and who cannot manage their own affairs. It is also to help parents plan and give them peace of mind. It is meant for the 83-year-old that I met in Warragul who was caring for his 56-year-old daughter with Down syndrome having grand mal seizures, the mum in the inner western suburbs and the father and mother in Western Australia who want to make sure their 33-year-old son, who has been in a special school and is now in a business service, is provided for. I can go through family after family who have been hanging for this measure for a long time. I ask people to make sure that we watch very carefully so that people cannot drive a truck through this measure. That is what I asked the advisory committee to do. I have a couple of comments I want to make in the committee stage about the criteria for being in or out of the trust. I commend the bill to the Senate.