#WhiteListThis

The government has released its long-awaited report into elder abuse. National Plan to End the Abuse and Mistreatment of Older People 2026-2036.

The findings are distressing and the issues are bundled in the explanation that elder abuse is a 'growing national problem' and a 'complex crisis' that often goes hidden within Australian families'.

• Pervasiveness of Abuse: Approximately 1 in 6 older Australians experience elder abuse each year, most commonly perpetrated by family members.
• Widespread Ageism: Ageism is identified as a primary driver of abuse with 35% of older Australians reporting experiencing age-related discrimination since turning 50.
• Financial Vulnerability: Growing concern over financial elder abuse is a central focus, with advocates highlighting cases where life savings are lost without legal recourse.

Regarding the misuse use of legal protective documents: most government reports (such as the 2024 evaluation of the National Plan) do not call for the total abolition of POAs, but rather the removal of the current unsupervised and unregulated process.

With 6 out of 10 Power of Attorney actions display indications of potential financial abuse (AIFS 2026 Report), our submission to the Attorney General focused on identifying and teaching people about 'pre-elder abuse' behaviors. We believe a new public vocabulary is needed to sponsor conversations about how 'pre-elder abuse behaviours', if left unaddressed, can lead to elder financial grooming. These initially innocuous actions can metastasise like a classic Australian skin cancer, into something far more serious. We must architect solutions to protect clients before the damage is done.

Issue:

• If you wish to plan your business response, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is commemorated each year on 15 June

A recent  case in the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Tribunal) delivered a sobering reminder that POAs do not work across state borders. In the matter of UI [2026] TASCAT 30, the father, while living in South Australia, signed both an Enduring Power of Attorney and a Medical POA. Travelling to South Australia, his son successfully used the SA POAs to help his 87 year old father sell the family home, managing the transition correctly and appropriately. He then moved his father to Tasmania to live in the son’s home. Unbeknown to them, the moment they crossed the South Australian border, the POAs became legally invalid outside the state.

The Tasmanian Tribunal rejected the son’s pleas to continue to care for his father. It refused to honour the SA POAs. The Tribunal took a additional step and took power away from the son and then gave it to the Tasmanian Public Trustee. Rather than the son helping his dad, a government instrument was now in charge. .

Issue:

• How many of your clients have frail aged parents or investment assets in a different Australian State or Territory to the one they are living in now? 
• How many of your clients have State or Territory based Power of Attorney (POA) and Power of Enduring Guardianship (POEG) documents for each state or territory where parents live and significant assets are held?
• If you have clients who have significant assets or family they care for interstate, they must have valid legal documents from that specific state in place

A global reinsurer recently exited the Australian Life Insurance market principly over structural policy design misalignment with modern IP and long term TPD claims.  The flow on effect is the reduction of local personal insurance competition.

We are seeing industry super funds move to 'TPD as an Annuity' models. While the headings remain the same, the underlying definitions have changed to the detriment of members. Notably, the late Professor Stephen Hawking would likely not qualify for a claim under these new annuity systems. We recommend reviewing any clients relying on default TPD levels. 

The newly diluted definitions of the Retail Super fund 'TPD Assist' model, has transformed a one-time safety net into a five-year endurance test which requires claimants to essentially re-litigate their disability every year.

Issue:

• The psychological weight of this 'drip-feed' approach, to surviving with super is staggering in its silence.
• If 'Super Says' you've shown even a glimmer of improvement or retraining potential during an annual review, the music stops and the remaining chairs- your future payments - are pulled away.
• What are your clients exposure to this clear and present danger?
• What is your professional exposure to this risk?

This quarter, we are focused on the requirements for making a business entity verifiably 'visible' to Artificial Intelligence. As procurement becomes increasingly automated, machine code scanning a website now uses specific digital markers as trust indicators.

We have been particularly impressed by the work of author Katja Forbes in her new book Machine Customers. While automated procurement bots began at the enterprise level, it is now moving into the mid-tier business sector. Currently, we are seeing a measurable increase in ChatGPT referring customers to Sapience by indexing our curated, high-signal content.

Issue:

• How many of your clients have asked ChatGPT for 'Who's the best mortgage broker close to me? ' and avoid website interaction or Google search altogether?
• What happens when a potential client does not know the accepted 'industry terminology' to use to find a solution to a problem. For example how many first time customers know if they need an 'asset broker' and what their service is?

Does your business have an ABN displayed on its website or in its machine visible JSON code? What about an LEI number? Learn more here.

The Professional Takeaway: Making a digital presence 'machine-indexable' is no longer a technical luxury; it is a fundamental requirement for maintaining business trust in an AI-driven and AI-search replacement economy.