When the Financial Assistance Scheme opens, you will be able to nominate someone else to help you with your application. You will be able to do this through our online system.
You can choose someone to act on your behalf and make decisions about your application. This person is called an authorised representative.
If you are not able to make an application because you have diminished capacity, someone can nominate themselves to be your authorised representative.
Authorised representatives
An authorised representative has the same level of access to an application as the applicant. They might be someone the applicant knows or is related to, or a professional providing services (such as a lawyer or case manager).
An authorised representative can:
- make decisions on behalf of the applicant about their application
- provide practical support to gather documents
- start, edit and complete an application for financial assistance
- receive notifications about an application
- speak with FAS about an application (and update their own contact details)
- view a submitted application.
An authorised representative cannot:
- change the authorised representative arrangements
- receive payments (unless they are a parent of a child or are otherwise authorised by law to manage payments on your behalf).
An authorised representative must agree to:
- act in the best interests of the applicant
- respect any cultural considerations that apply to the applicant
- communicate with FAS on important things that are needed to progress an application
- notify FAS of any changes to the applicant’s circumstances that may impact the application
- stop being an authorised representative and disclose to FAS if they are, or are likely to be, subject to criminal and/or civil family violence matter(s)
- support and keep the applicant updated as they go through the application process.
An authorised representative must have access to the internet and be able to send and receive online communication, including emails. They must be able to spend the time and effort to help an applicant fill out their application.
Updated