#  Sapience Financial Lodges Formal Government Submission on Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation

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**SYDNEY, NSW (6 April 2026)** — Specialty risk advice firm Sapience Financial has submitted a formal policy response to the Attorney-General's Department addressing systemic financial elder abuse, covert domestic coercion, and structural risks within estate planning frameworks.

The submission, titled *The Predator on the Couch*, details how vulnerable older Australians face financial extraction and identity lockdown within immediate family households - often perpetrated under the guise of informal caregiving or filial duty.

 #### Formal Response Submission to the Government by Sapience Financial

👓 [Read our Full 2026 Mandate Submission here](https://www.sapience.com.au/images/blog-assets/pdf-download/260406%20SAP%20Govt%20Submission%20_%20Elder%20Abuse%20Submission%20Sapience%20Financial%20Sapience%20Financial.pdf)

📥 [Download the Full Submission (PDF, 2MB)](https://www.sapience.com.au/images/blog-assets/pdf-download/260406%20SAP%20Govt%20Submission%20_%20Elder%20Abuse%20Submission%20Sapience%20Financial%20Sapience%20Financial.pdf)

### Key Policy Recommendations Highlights

- **Power of Attorney Overhaul:** Mandatory independent legal verification for enduring powers of attorney where financial management is transferred to a co-habitating relative.
- **Financial Red Flag Screening:** Mandating financial institutions to screen for joint-account salary/pension diversions where an elderly account holder displays signs of administrative lockdown.
- **Succession Act Protections:** Amending family provision frameworks to prevent perpetrators of verified financial elder abuse from lodging civil claims against victim estates.

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