Queensland Law Week 2021 has highlighted the importance of having an enduring power of attorney and an advanced health directive in place.
Attorney-General and Minster for Justice, Shannon Fentiman said Law Week, which ended at the weekend, had provided an opportunity to raise awareness of the significant reform of the Guardianship and Administration Act 2000 which came into effect late last year.
“Law Week is about giving the community a better understanding of the important role that our legal system plays in their lives,” Ms Fentiman said.
“This year, the theme for Law Week was Don’t Wait Until it’s Too Late”.
She said Law Week had encouraged Queenslanders to make sure they had the correct plans in place so their wishes could be carried out if, and when, certain events occurred in their lives.
“Unfortunately, for many of us, a time may come where we are not able to make important decisions regarding our care and finances for ourselves,” Ms Fentiman said.
“We know that many of us don’t want to think about these things. That is why the Government made significant changes last year, to make the process of putting in place an enduring power of attorney or advanced health directive even easier.”
She said the forms involved were simpler and less time consuming to complete.
“In addition, new guidelines for the assessment of capacity have also been made available, to help those who are required to assess a person’s decision-making capacity, such as health professionals,” the Minister said.
“There are also new explanatory guides available to make completing the forms quick and easy. I encourage everyone to set aside some time to ensure they are in place, so your wishes are carried out as you want if that time comes,” she said.
