Power of Attorney.
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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:
- A certified copy of the Power of Attorney document, certified in the last six months – see our document certification guide (PDF)
- The completed Power of Attorney Details form (PDF).
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.