How to Revoke Power of Attorney in the NT

You can revoke an Advance Personal Plan in the Northern Territory at any time if you still have decision-making capacity. A General Power of Attorney follows separate withdrawal rules. The process involves more than just tearing up the document. If the plan was registered with the PGT or the Land Titles Office, those registrations must be formally withdrawn. If decision-makers were notified, they must be told the plan is revoked. Missing any of these steps can leave a revoked plan on official registers, creating confusion and potential legal disputes down the track.

Who Can Revoke

Only the maker of the plan can revoke an APP, and only while they retain decision-making capacity. A decision-maker, family member, or solicitor cannot revoke an APP on the maker's behalf, even with good intentions. A GPOA follows the separate withdrawal rules under the Powers of Attorney Act 1980; the attorney may also withdraw it.

If the maker has lost capacity, revocation is no longer possible through the standard pathway. In that situation, an interested party can apply to NTCAT to have the plan reviewed, varied, or revoked by the tribunal. NTCAT may amend the plan where a statutory ground applies; it may revoke the plan only if revocation is the only practicable way to address that ground and the adult would have agreed to the revocation while they had planning capacity.

The Revocation Steps

Step 1 — Confirm capacity. The maker must have the decision-making capacity to understand what revoking the plan means. If there is any question about capacity, obtain a medical assessment before proceeding.

Step 2 — Destroy the original document. Physically destroy the original signed APP and all known copies. This prevents anyone from relying on a revoked document.

Step 3 — Notify all decision-makers in writing. Every person named as a decision-maker or alternative decision-maker in the plan must receive written notice that the plan has been revoked. Keep copies of these notifications.

Step 4 — Notify the PGT. If the APP was registered with the Public Guardian and Trustee, send written notice of the revocation to the PGT APP Register. This removes the plan from the central database that hospitals and health services access.

Step 5 — Notify the Land Titles Office. If the APP or GPOA was registered with the LTO, file a formal Withdrawal of Power of Attorney. The withdrawal fee is $30 (flat fee). Without this step, the LTO records will continue to show a registered instrument that no longer exists.

Step 6 — Update My Health Record. If the APP's healthcare directives were uploaded to the national My Health Record system, update or remove them. Otherwise, health practitioners accessing your record may follow revoked directives.

Step 7 — Notify relevant institutions. Banks, aged care providers, and any other institution that received a copy of the APP should be notified in writing. This prevents a decision-maker from presenting a copy after revocation.

Creating a Replacement Plan

Revocation and replacement are often done together. If you are revoking an APP because you want to change your decision-makers, update your medical directives, or adopt the split-document strategy, execute the new APP first, then revoke the old one. This avoids any gap in coverage.

The new APP does not automatically revoke the old one. You must take the revocation steps above for the old plan, even after the new one is signed and registered.

Revoking a Legacy EPOA

Enduring Powers of Attorney executed before 17 March 2014 under the Powers of Attorney Act 1980 follow a similar revocation process: destroy the original, notify the attorney (the old terminology for decision-maker), and withdraw any LTO registration. If you are replacing a legacy EPOA with a new APP, this is the time to ensure the old instrument is fully removed from all registers.

For the complete revocation checklist — including template notification letters, the LTO withdrawal form reference, and the process for creating a replacement APP — see the Northern Territory Power of Attorney Kit.

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