The ACT has become the first jurisdiction to create specific criminal offences to improve the protection of vulnerable people.
Under new reforms introduced into the Legislative Assembly, organisations and carers who abused or exploited vulnerable members of the community, including the elderly, may be held criminally liable.
Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay said many elderly and disabled community members required support to manage day-to-day tasks and could be particularly vulnerable to physical, psychological and financial abuse.
“These protections are fundamental to supporting their basic human rights,” Mr Ramsay said.
“While physical abuse is already a criminal offence, these reforms will ensure those whose abuse results in psychological and financial harm to a vulnerable person can be held criminally accountable.”
He said the national Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety revealed Australians in the aged care system could face an increased risk of neglect and abuse.
“We will also ensure that institutions which care for vulnerable people, and those in a position to intervene to protect a vulnerable person, will commit an offence if they fail to protect the vulnerable person,” Mr Ramsay said.
He said the new Bill introduced offences which recognised that care of vulnerable people could occur in both a private setting as well as institutional setting.
He said the reforms made abuse, neglect and failure to protect a vulnerable person criminal offences’ punishable by fines and imprisonment.
