Advice Service

Increased Enquiries

We’re currently experiencing higher than usual wait times for enquiries to our Advice Service.

We ask that you please only leave one message as duplicate messages on the same topic lead to delays in responding to all enquiries. The usual time for calls to be responded to is one week.

We thank you for your patience as we answer enquiries as quickly as we can.

OPA's Advice Service provides information and assistance to:

• people with disability
• their family, carers and friends
• professionals from the health, human services, legal, community services and government sectors.

OPA’s team of highly trained staff can provide advice on a diverse range of matters that affect people with disability, including:

• guardianship and administration
• enduring powers of attorney
• medical treatment decision-making
• matters affecting people with disability
• referral to OPA's Community Visitors Program.

Your privacy and confidentiality are respected. If Advice Service staff are unable to help, they will refer you to a service that can.

OPA's Advice service drop-in sessions!

Have a general question or query about processes and information you’ve seen on our website?  The Office of the Public Advocate is now holding Q & A sessions where members of the public can join in anytime between 1pm - 2pm, every Friday and have a question answered on the spot!
These forums will include other members of the public and so we recommend keeping your question/s vague.

Some examples of questions that could be answered at the drop in session are:

• Who can witness my Power of Attorney?
• Can I appoint more than one medical treatment decision maker?
• My client has a Power of Attorney completed in 2007, what authority does that cover?
• When is it appropriate to apply for guardianship?

Registration to these sessions is not needed, click on the zoom link on the day. However, if you would like a calendar invite, so you have it saved in your calendar, please email the Education & Engagement Officer at [email protected] and request a calendar invite. In your email, please specify the date in which you wish to attend.

IMPORTANT – Please adhere to privacy and confidentiality when logging on to these sessions!

For detailed advice on a particular matter please call our Advice Service on 1300 309 337 for a private chat.

Session details:

Every Friday – 1pm-2pm on zoom.

Zoom link is as follows:

https://justice-vic-gov-au.zoom.us/j/69606736122

Contacting OPA

OPA Advice Service operates from Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm.

Telephone: 1300 309 337
National Relay Service: 133 677

If the Advice Service telephone line is busy, you can leave your contact details and an adviser will return your call as soon as possible. 

You can also contact the OPA Advice Service by:

Fax: 1300 787 510
Email: [email protected]

In-person visits are currently unavailable due to COVID-19 restrictions.

After hours

For urgent matters that cannot wait until the next business day, you can contact OPA after hours.

Urgent matters include:

• emergency situations relating to people who have an OPA guardian
• advice for medical professionals about urgent medical consent issues
• urgent guardianship or administration applications
• seeking advice on protection of a person with disability from abuse, violence or neglect
• advice for private guardians appointed by VCAT confronted with an urgent issue.

Phone: 1300 309 337

Your call will be automatically transferred to the after-hours service. If the matter is not urgent, you will be asked to contact OPA during business hours.