National Power of Attorney Register

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:46): Supplementary: did the federal Attorney-General give you any indication of what a staged approach might equate to in weeks, months or years?

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (14:46): The next meeting will be mid next year. There will be an expectation to resolve a number of things, but the staged approach is to accommodate the states being able to identify what the areas of overlap are and what can be usefully provided in the knowledge that there are a number of states that haven't advanced to a contemporary standard—if I can be as kind to describe it as that—the law surrounding powers of attorney.

Our state started to under minister Hill. He didn't progress that, so it has been left in abeyance. I think we have some fairly good standards of powers of attorney, but I have already initiated areas in my department that I think need some reform and to get some advice on those matters, irrespective of what is going to happen at the national level. I think it is important that we have a contemporary set of rules in relation to our own powers of attorney.

Incidentally, this parliament has passed law, certainly in the time I was in opposition, to mutually recognise powers of attorney in Victoria because of the significant overlap in the population that the member for Mount Gambier represents. I am not sure whether he was directly involved in the matter at the time of advocating for it, but it had some merit because of the significant overlap. That is the type of thing we need to be able to bring up to contemporary standard. In the meantime, we are very pleased with the federal Attorney's announcement. We will get our agreements in order, but the commitment to have the money on the table to not just establish but maintain a register is a very important advance, and we are appreciative of it.