Lack of action on power of attorney system is 'a disgrace' - Age Discrimination Commissioner

The outgoing Age Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Kay Patterson, has unfinished business and it's weighing on her mind. For six years, she and a raft of organisations have been calling for an overhaul of the country's enduring power of attorney system, under which some vulnerable people have been robbed of their assets and control of their lives. She says it's 'appalling' and a 'disgrace' that action hasn't been taken swiftly to safeguard people from abuse, sometimes perpetrated by trusted loved-ones.

senior couple looking sad and disappointed while using a laptop in a sunny park, suggesting that they might have lost money online Source: iStockphoto / Daniel Megias/Getty Images