Office of the Public Guardian Tasmania

A guardian is someone with legal authority to make important health and lifestyle decisions on behalf of a person with a decision-making disability.

A guardian may be:

• a Private Guardian – a suitable family member or friend; or
• the Public Guardian – when no other suitable person is available or when there is conflict

Before a medical or dental practitioner provides treatment to a patient the practitioner must obtain informed consent for the treatment and the patient must be able to understand and agree to the treatment before the treatment can be started.

The Public Guardian is an independent role appointed under the Guardianship and Administration Act 1995 (the Act). This means that the Public Guardian's decisions and actions are independent of the Government.