Record your choices in Tasmania

Record your wishes and preferences

In Tasmania, a person with decision-making capacity can record their values, preferences and instructions for future health care in an Advance Care Directive.

An Advance Care Directiveis a legal document that lets you record instructions about refusing medical treatment and under what circumstances. In Tasmania, only instructions to refuse or withhold treatments are legally binding. Instructions to consent aren’t legally binding.

This information sheet [PDF 213 KB] will help you fill in the form.

A person under 18 can complete the form; in these cases a health professional must sign it.

Learn more about expressing your values and preferences or making specific instructions.

Appoint a substitute decision-maker

In Tasmania, you can choose to appoint one or more people as an enduring guardian. Your enduring guardians can consent to or refuse treatment on your behalf.

You can appoint 2 enduring guardians who must act jointly. You can also appoint an alternative guardian. They can act as your guardian when your first-named guardian is away or if they no longer have decision-making ability.

For more information read the Guardianship Fact Sheet and Private Guardians Handbook.

Read more about appointing an enduring guardian on the Tasmania Legal Aid website.

For more information about substitute decision-makers, read about choosing someone to speak for you.

Storing and sharing your documents

In Tasmania you can choose to register your Advance Care Directive with the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT). To do this, complete and file an Application for registration of an Advance Care Directive.

Your Enduring Guardianship form must be registered with TASCAT. It isn’t legally binding until registered. You’ll need to complete a Coversheet for Service Tasmania to register the appointment of your enduring guardian.

Download Enduring Guardianship forms and information.

Read our general recommendations about storing and sharing your documents.

Making changes to documents

In Tasmania, you can’t change an Advance Care Directive after it’s been completed. If you wish to make any changes, you’ll need to legally cancel the Advance Care Directive and make a new one. There are instructions in the Advance Care Directive about how to cancel the document.

If the Advance Care Directive is registered with TASCAT, the person must complete and lodge the Notice of Revocation of a Registered ACD Form with TASCAT.

If you wish to appoint a new Enduring Guardian or change your existing appointment, you must complete a new document. If you have an existing Enduring Guardian, your new appointment should clearly state that you revoke any existing appointment.

Any changes you make to an enduring guardianship instrument must be registered with TASCAT. TASCAT has produced a form and guide for making an application to review or revoke an Enduring Guardianship Instrument.

You must complete an Instrument Revoking the Appointment of an Enduring Guardian.

Learn more about making changes to documents.