Department of Health

The Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016External Link enshrines advance care directives in Victorian law and creates clear obligations for health practitioners caring for people who do not have decision-making capacity.

To give Victorians confidence that their decisions about medical treatment will be respected, the department has created forms that allow Victorians to:

  • Make an advance care directive which can include an instructional directive (which will provide specific directives about treatment a person consents to or refuses) and/or a values directive (which will describe a person's views and values).
  • Appoint a medical treatment decision maker (who will make decisions on behalf of a person when they no longer have decision making capacity).
  • Appoint a support person (who will assist a person to make decisions for themselves, by collecting and interpreting information or assisting the person to communicate their decisions).

All forms under the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 are available to download free of charge and may be completed without seeking legal advice or assistance.

For further information on advance care planning, see the Better Health ChannelExternal Link .

For additional resources for health practitioners, see the Advance care planning section.

Advance care directive

Regulations made under the Electronic Transactions (Victoria) Act 2000 apply to the signing and witnessing requirements for advance care directives.

An advance care directive can be signed electronically but cannot be witnessed over audio visual link (remotely). Witnessing must be done in person.

For more information, see Electronic signing and online witnessing of legal documentsExternal Link on the Department of Justice and Community Safety Victoria website.

Advance care directive for adults

The Advance care directive for adults document allows an adult to document their preferences for future medical treatment, should they lose decision-making capacity.

A person can record general statements about their values and preferences to guide future medical treatment decisions, or record instructions consenting to or refusing specific types of treatment.

Instructions for completing the Advance care directive form

These instructions provide additional guidance and information to assist in completing the Advance care directive for adults form.

Advance care directive for young people under 18 years of age

Instructions for completing the Advance care directive form for young people under 18 years of age

These instructions provide additional guidance and information to assist in completing the Advance care directive for young people under 18 years of age form.

Advance care directive for adults for someone signing on your behalf

Use this form if you need someone to fill in and sign an advance care directive for you, at your direction. This document allows an adult to document their preferences for future medical treatment, should they lose decision-making capacity. A person can record general statements about their values and preferences to guide future medical treatment decisions, or record instructions consenting to or refusing specific types of treatment.

Revocation of an advance care directive form

Use this form to revoke a previously completed advance care directive.

Medical treatment decision maker

Appointment of medical treatment decision maker form

This document allows you to formally appoint a medical treatment decision maker, who will have legal authority to make medical treatment decisions on your behalf, should you become unable to do so.

Checklist of steps for appointing your medical treatment decision maker

This checklist provides additional guidance and information to help you appoint your medical treatment decision maker.

Appointment of medical treatment decision maker form (long)

Use this document if you wish to formally appoint multiple medical treatment decision makers, who will have legal authority (in order of appointment based on availability at the time), to make medical treatment decisions on your behalf, should you become unable to do so.

Appointment of medical treatment decision maker for someone signing on your behalf

Use this document if you need someone to fill in and sign an appointment of medical treatment decision maker form for you, at your direction. This document allows you to formally appoint a medical treatment decision maker, who will have the legal authority to make medical treatment decisions on your behalf, should you become unable to do so.

Revocation of medical treatment decision maker form

This form is to be used to revoke your appointment of a medical treatment decision maker.

Resignation of medical treatment decision maker form

This form can be used to resign from being a person's appointed medical treatment decision maker.

Support person

Appointment of support person form

This form allows you to appoint a support person to assist you to make, communicate and give effect to your medical treatment decisions.

Checklist of steps for appointing your support person (medical treatment)

The checklist provides additional guidance and information to help you appoint your support person.

Appointment of support person for someone signing on your behalf

Use this document if you need someone to fill in and sign an appointment of support person form for you, at your direction. This form allows you to appoint a support person to assist you to make, communicate and give effect to your medical treatment decisions.

Revocation of support person form

Complete this form if you wish to revoke your appointment of a support person (medical treatment).

Resignation of support person form

Complete this form if you wish to resign from being a person's appointed support person (medical treatment).

All forms under the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 are available to download free of charge and may be completed without seeking legal advice or assistance.

The documents are accessible (tagged) PDF format, including the forms. All forms may be completed electronically (on screen), except for the signing and witnessing sections, which must be completed by hand after printing.

If you intend to complete a form electronically prior to printing, we recommend that you use Adobe PDF Reader. Adobe PDF Reader also generally works well with assistive technologies. Download the Adobe PDF ReaderExternal Link from the Adobe website.

Please note that other PDF readers, such as Mac Preview, may allow electronic form completion but may not print correctly, making the completed form unusable.

Reviewed 06 December 2022

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