The Australian Association to STOP Guardianship and Administration Abuse (AASGAA) is an incorporated Australian not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing free information, education and community support on guardianship and administration laws and practices throughout Australia.
Our primary purpose is to educate the public about guardianship and administration systems operating across all Australian States and Territories, including both private appointments and public guardianship and public trustee arrangements. We aim to help individuals and families better understand these systems, their legal rights and responsibilities, and the practical issues that can arise when a person loses decision-making capacity.
In appropriate circumstances, AASGAA also provides support, guidance and advocacy for vulnerable individuals and their families. Any decision to provide assistance is made at the discretion of the organisation and is based on the particular facts and circumstances of each case.
Our mission is to promote transparency, accountability and informed decision-making within Australia’s guardianship and administration systems.
We seek to raise public awareness of situations in which vulnerable people may be exposed to abuse, exploitation, neglect or unnecessary restrictions on their autonomy. We also examine how guardianship and administration processes can, in some cases, be misused by individuals or institutions seeking to obtain control over vulnerable people or their assets.
Where state and territory guardianship tribunals become involved, important decisions affecting a person’s liberty, finances, medical treatment and lifestyle may be made. These tribunals are generally specialist administrative bodies rather than courts, and they operate under legislative procedures that differ from the traditional rules of evidence applied in courts.
Depending on the circumstances, a range of people and organisations may become involved in decisions affecting a vulnerable person, including:
Each participant has a different legal role and authority depending upon the relevant legislation and any orders made by a tribunal or court.
AASGAA encourages families to understand these roles and to ensure that decision-making powers are exercised lawfully and in the best interests of the person concerned.
AASGAA is a support and information organisation.
We recognise that guardianship and administration orders are often necessary to protect people who are vulnerable to abuse, violence, neglect or financial exploitation.
Our concern is not with the existence of these legal protections, but with ensuring that appointments are appropriate, proportionate, transparent and subject to effective oversight.
Questions about who should be appointed as guardian or administrator, whether less restrictive alternatives exist, and whether decision-makers remain accountable are frequently matters considered by tribunals and courts.
AASGAA shares information and knowledge with organisations and advocates in other countries that work to improve guardianship systems, including the United States, where similar legal arrangements are commonly known as conservatorships. Although terminology differs internationally, many of the legal principles and systemic issues are comparable.
AASGAA is committed to protecting vulnerable people. Core members involved in advocacy and direct support undergo police clearance checks before acting on behalf of the organisation.
Through education, information sharing and responsible advocacy, AASGAA seeks to contribute to a guardianship and administration system that protects vulnerable Australians while respecting their dignity, autonomy and legal rights.
1. Guardianship and administration matters should be determined in courts (federal or state Magistrates’ Courts), with strict application of court rules and evidence law, and
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