Nurse practitioners can now give the registrar-general a cause of death certificate; they must have been responsible for the person's medical care immediately before death.

Doctors must give the registrar-general a cause of death certificate within 48 hours of death; failure to do so is a strict liability offence with a maximum penalty of 5 penalty units.

Nurse practitioners are banned from issuing a cause of death certificate if they believe another practitioner has already done so; this also applies if the death was reported to a coroner.

Criminal offences apply to doctors or nurse practitioners who give a cause of death certificate in prohibited circumstances.

The Coroner has jurisdiction over a death if no cause of death certificate is provided; this also applies if the person was not seen by a doctor or nurse practitioner in the 6 months before death.

Non-written health directions are invalid unless two health professionals witness them at the same time; at least one witness must be a doctor or nurse practitioner.