Growth in Application Volume
Since 2016-17, Western Australia has experienced a significant increase in Guardianship and Administration (GA) applications processed by the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT). Starting from a base of 3,879 applications in 2016-17, the volume has grown to over 6,000 annually by 2023-24.
Growth Pattern (2016-2024)
Using 2016-17 as our starting point, application numbers show the following trend:
2016-17: 3,879 applications (base year)
2017-18: 3,864 applications (-0.4% from base year)
2018-19: 3,938 applications (+1.5% from base year)
2019-20: 4,903 applications (+26.4% from base year)
2020-21: 5,061 applications (+30.5% from base year)
2021-22: 5,602 applications (+44.4% from base year)
2022-23: 5,624 applications (+45.0% from base year)
2023-24: 6,061 applications (+56.3% from base year)
This represents an overall increase of 56.3% in GA applications since 2016-17.
Factors Contributing to Growth
Several factors have contributed to the increased volume of GA applications:
Demographic Changes
Western Australia's 65-plus population has grown by approximately 3% annually over the past decade, increasing the number of people who may require substitute decision-makers.
NDIS and Regulatory Changes
Post-2021 changes to disability support systems have required formal consent for many decisions affecting people with disability. These regulatory changes have increased the need for guardianship applications.
Mandatory Review Requirements
Section 84 of the Guardianship and Administration Act requires reviews of existing orders every five years. As the number of active orders increases, so does the volume of mandatory reviews.
Recent Growth Factors
The 7.8% increase in 2023-24 was primarily due to new appointment applications (2,860) and Tribunal-initiated reviews (1,806).
Operational Impact
GA matters now constitute approximately 99% of the Human Rights stream and about 83% of all SAT applications. Despite this volume, SAT has maintained efficiency, finalizing 80% of GA matters within nine weeks during 2023-24, which exceeds its ten-week target.
Future Outlook
Based on current trends:
Demographic projections suggest continued growth of 3-5% annually
Proposed reforms to the Guardianship and Administration Act may alter application types but are unlikely to reduce overall volume
SAT's implementation of digital filing and regional video hearings should help maintain processing efficiency as numbers continue to increase
The data indicates that GA applications in Western Australia will likely continue their upward trajectory in the coming years, reflecting ongoing demographic and policy changes.