The Office of Health Review was established under the Health and Disability Services (Complaints) Act 1995 to provide an independent authority to receive and investigate consumer complaints, including complaints about hospitals, disability accommodation services and prison health care. The Office of Health Review was replaced by the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office in 2010.
The Health and Disability Services (Complaints) Act 1995 (Act number 075/1995) integrates with Part 6 of the Disability Services Act 1993 to provide avenues for consumer and carers’ complaints to be addressed. The Health and Disability Services (Complaints) Act 1995 also established the functions of the Office of Health Review (1995-2010) and the Health and…
The Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board was established by the Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Defendants) Act 1996. The functions of the Board are described by Parts 5 and 6 of the Act. The Board is required to determine the place of custody for a person deemed mentally unfit to stand trial, and report on and…
The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1892 (55 Vict. No.24) sought to ‘make better provision for the protection of women and girls’ by identifying a number of offences against morality, including defilement of all girls under 12 (s.4). Carnal knowledge of girls aged 12-14 years, ‘idiot’ and ‘imbecile’ women and girls was outlawed (s.6). It was…
The Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Accused) Act 1996 (070/1996) acknowledges that not all people who come before the courts are ‘mentally fit’ to stand trial (s.9). The Act applies to all Western Australian courts where criminal proceedings are heard, including the Children’s Court. The Act established the Mentally Accused Review Board. The Act makes provision…
The Ombudsman Western Australia is responsible for reviewing ‘investigable’ child deaths and recommending actions to prevent future deaths. A child death is investigable if it is within two years of the wellbeing of the child (or a child relative of the child) coming to the attention of child welfare authorities, or if the child is…
A Child Death Review Committee was established in 2003 by the Western Australian government to ‘provide quality assurance mechanisms of particular departmental cases where a child has died’. The Committee was to seek to understand why children in the care of child welfare authorities had died, determine whether departmental procedures had an impact on events…
The Child Welfare Act Amendment Act 1965 amended the Child Welfare Act 1947. The amendments had two key impacts on out of home care. Children were committed to the ‘care of the Department’ (s.32) or the ‘custody of the Director’ (s.4) rather than directed to placement by the Children’s Court in consultation with the Child…
The Supporting Mother’s Benefit was a Commonwealth allowance introduced in 1973 by the Whitlam government. It extended equal access to income support to all single mothers. In November 1977, it was replaced by the Supporting Parent’s Benefit, with sole fathers becoming eligible for payments. This payment made it possible for many single mothers to keep…
The Widows’ Pension was a Commonwealth allowance introduced to enable widows with dependent children to stay at home and look after them, rather than having to go out to work to keep the family from destitution. From October 1942 until 1976, the Widows’ Pension was exempt from income tax. Single mothers, de facto wives and…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
