Guardianship in Australia

This chapter describes guardianship, in its broadest sense, throughout the states and territory within Australia. First, there will be an overview of the legal and political systems within Australia, to give context to the development of the different regimes within each state or territory. Following an overview of the Australian legal system, there is an analysis of guardianship issues facing each state or territory. The chapter concludes with current challenges facing Australian guardianship and makes future recommendations. Essentially, there is no over-arching national guardianship legislative framework in Australia, though the development of a unified framework would be highly desirable, particularly as the Australian population ages. The prevalence of age related conditions such as dementia is increasing. The proportion of the population with dementia is expected to rise by 254% by 2050.