Health Care Decision Making Act 2023

• Jurisdiction: Northern Territory
• Year: 2023
• Type of Document: Acts

NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA

HEALTH CARE DECISION MAKING ACT 2023

As in force at 1 August 2025

Table of provisions

Part 1 Preliminary matters

1 Short title ......................................................................................... 1

2 Commencement .............................................................................. 1

3 Purposes of Act ............................................................................... 1

4 Definitions ........................................................................................ 2

5 Presumption of capacity to make health care decisions .................. 3

6 Meaning of health care .................................................................... 3

7 Meaning of health care decision ...................................................... 4

8 Meaning of impaired decision making capacity ............................... 4

9 Meaning of willing and able ............................................................. 6

10 Application of Criminal Code ........................................................... 6

Part 2 Health care decision makers

11 Authority of health care decision maker ........................................... 6

12 Scope of health care decisions ........................................................ 7

13 Hierarchy of health care decision makers ........................................ 8

14 Appropriate health care decision maker .......................................... 9

15 Multiple appointees .......................................................................... 9

16 Relinquishing authority .................................................................. 10

17 Support to adult in making health care decision ............................ 10

18 Decision making principles ............................................................ 10

19 Advance consent decision ............................................................. 12

20 Exemptions .................................................................................... 12

21 Benefit to third party ...................................................................... 13

22 Role of Public Guardian ................................................................. 14

Part 3 Administering health care

23 Initial responsibilities of health care provider ................................. 14

24 Determination of capacity .............................................................. 15

25 Routine health care ....................................................................... 16

26 Palliative care ................................................................................ 16

27 Relief from pain and distress ......................................................... 17

28 Cosmetic surgery and other treatments ......................................... 17

29 Role of health care decision makers regarding "restrictive

practices" ....................................................................................... 17

30 Restricted health care .................................................................... 20

31 Reliance on health care decision makers and others .................... 21

Health Care Decision Making Act 2023 ii

32 Reliance on consent of adult with unknown impaired decision

making capacity ............................................................................. 22

33 Other responsibilities of health care provider ................................. 22

34 Unnecessary health care ............................................................... 22

35 Deemed unprofessional conduct ................................................... 23

36 Other laws allowing health care without consent not affected ....... 23

37 Other rights preserved ................................................................... 23

Part 4 Urgent health care

38 Application ..................................................................................... 23

39 Urgent health care without consent ............................................... 24

Part 5 NTCAT

40 Application to NTCAT .................................................................... 24

41 Orders by NTCAT .......................................................................... 25

42 Parties ........................................................................................... 26

43 Closed proceedings ....................................................................... 26

44 Oral reasons and findings of fact ................................................... 27

45 No internal review .......................................................................... 27

Part 6 Offences

46 Disclosure of identity information ................................................... 27

47 False representation ...................................................................... 28

48 Misleading information ................................................................... 29

49 Improper exercise of authority ....................................................... 30

50 Acting without authority ................................................................. 31

51 Contravention of decision making principles.................................. 31

52 Inducing contravention of decision making principles .................... 32

53 Limitation period for prosecutions .................................................. 33

Part 7 Administrative and other matters

54 Senior Practitioner directives and approvals.................................. 33

54A Delegation ..................................................................................... 34

55 Public Guardian guidelines ............................................................ 34

56 Report to Public Guardian ............................................................. 34

57 Liability of health care providers .................................................... 35

58 Regulations .................................................................................... 35

Part 8 Repeal

59 Act repealed .................................................................................. 35

ENDNOTES

NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA

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As in force at 1 August 2025

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HEALTH CARE DECISION MAKING ACT 2023

An Act to govern the making of health care decisions for adults with

impaired decision making capacity, for the provision of urgent health

care without consent to both adults and children and for related

purposes

Part 1 Preliminary matters

1 Short title

This Act may be cited as the Health Care Decision Making

Act 2023.

2 Commencement

(1) Subject to subsection (2), this Act commences on the day fixed by

the Administrator by Gazette notice.

(2) If a provision of this Act does not commence before 18 May 2025, it

commences on that day.

3 Purposes of Act

The purposes of this Act are the following:

(a) to provide authority to a hierarchy of persons to make

decisions regarding the health care of an adult with impaired

decision making capacity;

(b) to include, within that hierarchy, persons with authority under

the Advance Personal Planning Act 2013 and the

Guardianship of Adults Act 2016;

(c) to establish the principles and rules for making health care

decisions, while protecting an adult's freedom of decision and

action;