Australian Health Ministry Advisory Council Country Resources General Health Strategies and Plans Australia Policy document

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Many people fear a loss of autonomy, dignity and the ability to make their preferences known when crucial health and other personal decisions are required after they have lost decision-making capacity. Advance Care Directives (ACDs) provide a means for people to plan ahead for these situations. ACDs are not only advance medical directions written by a patient, nor are they limited to end-of-life decision-making. They are life-management documents which people may complete in home, community, hospital, institutional and aged-care settings.

The National Framework combines new and existing concepts and is intended to be aspirational, that is, it describes the goals for which policy and practice should aim rather than reflecting current law and practice across Australia.

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