Since the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, significant change has occurred in the provision of decision-making support for people with cognitive disabilities both in Australia and internationally. The rights of people with disabilities to make decisions, have access to the support necessary to do so and for their will, preferences, and rights to be central to all decisions about their lives are increasingly operationalised, through legislation, policies and mechanisms such as supported decision-making. The 2019 amendments to the Guardianship and Administration Act, 2000 and the introduction ofHuman Rights Act 2019, placed new responsibilities on all Queensland public sector entities to act in ways compatible with human rights and consider rights in all their decisions.

This report evaluates the introduction of a Structured Decision-Making Framework (SDM Framework) which was one component of the changes made by the Public Trustee Queensland (QPT) to reorient their practice to reflect the new human rights legislative imperatives.