Executive Summary

• The Office of the Public Advocate and the Community Visitors Program were established by Acts of Parliament 20 years ago. They signify the acceptance by the State of its fundamental responsibility for the promotion and protection of the rights and interests of citizens with a disability.
• Julian Gardner completed his seven-year term as Victoria’s third Public Advocate. His term was one of great achievement and growth and he carried out his responsibilities with distinction.
• The rights of people with a disability were publicly promoted through a national conference in Melbourne organised by the Australian Guardianship and Administration Committee on the theme ‘Disability, Human Rights, Independence, Protection’. Delegates from across Australia numbered 350.
• Guardianship services were provided for a record number of 1,292 persons with a disability. At the end of the year, there were 728 Victorians for whom the Public Advocate was guardian.
• The number of investigations rose by 7.4 per cent from the previous year to 773. There was a substantial increase in the number of investigations undertaken for urgent temporary orders to 207, up 37 per cent and continuing the trend from the previous year.
• The number of persons with a disability for whom individual advocacy was provided rose only marginally to 306. This includes advocacy to 58 residents of Kew Residential Services as part of the redevelopment of that institution. There was a substantial increase in the number of short-term advocacy matters handled by the Office during the year, from 891 last year to 1,070 this year.
• The Advice Service, either in person, by telephone or via email, recorded 14,006 enquiries. This is fewer than last year, possibly due to increased use of the website information and resources, substantiated by website statistics. Family members the largest number of callers (37 per cent), followed by calls from health services cent). The largest proportion of enquiries (24 per cent) related to dementia.
• The Office’s new website, which strives for the highest level of accessibility, was launched during the year. From April, when the site went live, to June, visits had increased by 25 per cent and downloads of documents including publications followed a similar trend.
• Community education activities reached an audience of 9,627 (2,277 fewer than last year’s audience of 11,904) through 209 speaking engagements.
• The number of private guardians, usually family members, appointed as a percentage of total new guardianship orders increased significantly to 40.3 per cent. During the year, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) made 264 new orders appointing private guardians and the Office provided support to people taking on this important responsibility.
• Co-ordination and support was provided to 514 Community Visitors who visit institutions, supported accommodation for people with a disability and inpatient psychiatric facilities. There were 5,620 visits, consistent with the previous year.
• Independent Third Persons attended 1,197 police interviews with suspects, witnesses or victims with a cognitive disability, slightly up from last year’s figure of 1,161.
• The Office engaged in more than 40 issues relating to systemic advocacy to promote the rights of people with a cognitive disability. These issues ranged from exploring the challenges experienced by people with Huntington's disease to the preparation and planning for the implementation of the new Disability Act 2006.