SIMON Corbell has announced a review of the Guardianship and Management of Property Act 1991.

The review will be undertaken by the ACT Law Reform Advisory Council, headed up by Professor Simon Rice.

“The Guardianship and Management of Property Act provides an important framework for the support of people who have limited decision-making capacity, for example those with an intellectual disability,” Simon said.

“This framework can make a huge difference to the way people live their lives and the options open to them – so it is important that we get it right.”

The current law was established 7 years ago, making it timely for a review to ensure the Act remains relevant.

“Since that time, there has been an increasing trend towards supporting people with disabilities and others with impaired decision-making capacity to make their own decisions,” Mr Corbell said.

“This is reflected in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which affirms the rights of people with disabilities to be actively involved in making decisions that affect them.

“With this principle in mind, I have asked the Law Reform Advisory Council to review the Act and make recommendations to ensure that it reflects best practice in guardianship laws relating to adults,” he said.

A copy of the terms of reference can be found at http://www.justice.act.gov.au.