Chapter 3. Legal issues
Consultations for this study indicated that people with a mental illness appear to experience particular legal issues. These include:
- legal issues relating to mental illness, such as issues falling under the Mental Health Act 1990 (NSW) and adult guardianship
- discrimination in relation to employment, education and insurance
- criminal legal issues including behaviour-related offences, drug offences and fines
- housing issues, including problems relating to the Department of Housing (DOH), private rental and boarding house accommodation
- social security issues, including eligibility, breaching and social security debt and prosecution for fraud
- consumer issues, such as credit card debt and banking issues, mobile phone and other contractual debt
- family law and care and protection issues
- domestic violence and victim of crime issues.