5 Knowledge and understanding KEY FINDINGS Only 6% of Australia feel they know a lot about FEPOAs, while over a third feel they have no knowledge of them, despite some being involved in FEPOAs themselves. l Nearly half (46%) of Australians who have not been either a principal or appointed decisionmaker said if they were involved in an FEPOA tomorrow, they would not understand the rights and responsibilities of a principal and an appointed decision-maker. Only one in four (23%) Australians correctly identified that an FEPOA cannot be made after the principal has lost capacity to make decisions. Principals were more likely to incorrectly select this statement as ‘True’. When principals and appointed decision-makers were tested on their knowledge: l l l one in five (21%) incorrectly thought that an appointed decision-maker can decide who can visit the principal one in six (16%) incorrectly thought that an appointed decision-maker does not need to keep records about their decisions seven in ten (70%) understood that an appointed decision-maker must act in the interests of the principal and must not mix their money or property with the principal’s. While principals were the most likely to say they knew a lot about FEPOAs, they were also the most likely to select incorrect answers when tested on their knowledge. Chapter : 5 Knowledge and understanding 25