Power of Attorney.

Read time 3 min
There may come times when you need to appoint someone to manage your financial affairs on your behalf. That’s when you might need Power of Attorney. It’s a legal document that gives a trusted person the legal authority to act for you and make financial or legal decisions.

Understanding Power of Attorney

Power of Attorney is a legal document that gives a trusted person the legal authority to act for you and make financial or legal decisions. In case of an accident, sudden illness, planned or unexpected absence, you may need to appoint someone to act on your behalf. Before appointing someone to manage your finances on your behalf, we recommend you seek independent advice.

Three ways someone can act on your behalf

General Power of Attorney

This lets someone temporarily manage your affairs in your absence, like if you’re travelling overseas and need someone to access your bank accounts on your behalf.

Enduring Power of Attorney

An Enduring Power of Attorney lets someone manage your affairs on a long term basis, even if you lose the capacity to make decisions.

Administration Order (Also known as Financial Management Order)

Not as common as a Power of Attorney, and is generally appointed by a tribunal if a person is unable to make their own decisions.

How to appoint Power of Attorney

To appoint a Power of Attorney, you can post certified copies of the documents stated below:

Completed documents should be posted to:
CAL Team
GPO Box E237
Perth WA 6841


You may be required to visit a participating Australia Post location to complete additional identification.

If you’d like to speak to us about lodging your Power of Attorney or Administration Order with Bankwest, call 1800 433 932.

Common questions

No – they'll need their own debit card and login details for online banking.

A person acting under a Power of Attorney can have:

  • Their own debit card (linked to your account)
  • Access to online banking (separate login details to you)
  • A verbal password to bank over the phone

For security reasons, please don't share your card or bank details with anyone – even if they're managing your account.

They'll need to fill out the 'Attorney 2' details in Section 2 of the Power of Attorney Details form (PDF).

If you no longer need someone to act on your behalf, or you’ve changed the person who’s managing your finances, please call 1800 433 932, and we can help.

Contact your State or Territory Public Trustee’s office, Public Advocate or visit their websites for further information.

Further reading