Administrators' responsibilities

The management of another person's financial, legal and property affairs comes with a great deal of responsibility. Under the Guardianship and Administration Act 1990, administrators are required to be accountable for all decisions made, and are required to submit annual accounts to the Public Trustee for auditing.

The Public Trustee will examine the account records and may request more information. Losses to the estate of the represented person may leave an administrator personally liable.

It is recommended that administrators keep records of the decisions they make, which might include what the decision was, the date it was made, the reason it was required and any persons consulted in the process. More information can be found in the Public Trustee publication Private Administrator's Guide.

Private Administrator's Guide (PDF)

The Guardianship and Administration Act 1990 also requires administrators to make decisions in the best interests of the person they represent. The following are areas to consider in representing the best interests of the person:

advocating for the represented person
encouraging and assisting the person to be involved in the management of their own estate
encouraging and assisting the person to make decisions about their own life
protecting the person's estate from neglect, abuse and exploitation
consulting with the person and taking into account their wishes
showing respect for and maintaining the cultural, linguistic and religious environment of the represented person.

Last updated: 7-Jan-2020

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