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Thank you for visiting the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) website.OPA is an independent statutory body established by the Victorian State Government. OPA works to protect and promote the interests, rights and dignity of people with a disability. View the powers and functions of the Public Advocate. |
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2nd World Congress on Adult Guardianship
Guardianship and the United Nations Disabilities Convention, Australian and International Perspectives, Melbourne 15-16 October 2012
Bringing together Australian and International experts in the ageing, disability and guardianship fields, this congress will consider the effect of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on national and international guardianship laws and practices.
Download the Registation and Program document (PDF 1.4Mb).
More information at the Congress website.
We are sorry about the wait
OPA apologises for delays in the appointment of guardians. OPA resources are being stretched because of an increase in demand for our services.
In 2010, OPA established a waiting list and a priority system to identify the applicants in most need of OPA's services.
Please be assured that OPA is doing everything possible to address the most critical cases as soon as possible. We appreciate that every case is very urgent for those directly affected.
OPA is assessing priorities based on information from VCAT and the individuals and their families. Please make sure that OPA is kept up-to-date with particular circumstances so that all cases can be assessed in the fairest way possible.
OPA has moved
The Office of the Public Advocate has moved from Lonsdale Street to Carlton.
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Our new street address and postal address is: Level 1 The office is located between Queensberry and Grattan Streets, opposite Argyle Square. |
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Our phone and fax contact details are the same and can be found here.
Implementing Human Rights in Closed Environments Conference
Public Advocate Colleen Pearce is one of the presenters at an international conference to be held in February 2012. The conference will examine human rights in closed environments. Click here for more information.
Second World Congress on Adult Guardianship
OPA is one of the hosts of the Second World Congress on Adult Guardianship to be held in Melbourne on 15-16 October 2012. Click here for information about submitting abstracts or click here to visit the website.
OPA and Community Visitors annual reports
The OPA and Community Visitors annual reports have now been tabled and are available to view online below.
Office of the Public Advocate Annual Report 2010-2011 (PDF 3.7MB)
Community Visitors Annual Report 2010-2011 (PDF 2.5MB)
The future of adult guardianship symposium
OPA's symposium on the future of adult guardianship was held on 29 July 2011. Click here to view presentations from the event.
OPA thesis now available online
The history of the Office of the Public Advocate has been documented in a thesis titled The Victorian Office of the Public Advocate: a first history 1986 – 2007.
The thesis is now available in full here.
For more information read the media release.
Google Translate
There is a Google Translate feature on our website. By clicking on the feature at the top of each page of the website, you can choose to translate the site into any of the 53 languages. To translate an attachment of nine pages or less, select the text and paste it into www.translate.google.com and choose the language.
Latest activities
OPA recently completed its second major submission to the Victorian Law Reform Commission on the review of Victoria's guardianship laws. The Commission, in its Guardianship Consultation Paper, poses 159 questions about guardianship and administration. OPA's submission responds to each of these questions. For more information read the full submission.
Use the Contact Us form if you have any questions or comments.