Until six years ago, there were no voluntary assisted dying laws in Australia, despite strong public support and fifty attempts in parliaments around the country. The change commenced in Victoria in 2017, after a parliamentary inquiry, a Ministerial Advisory Panel that consulted widely to craft recommendations for legislation, marathon parliamentary debates, and a conscience vote.1,2 Western Australia followed a similar path to their 2019 legislation,3,4 and other states soon also passed legislation. Later this year New South Wales will become the final state in which such a law comes into effect.
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- 1. Department of Health and Human Services (Victoria). Ministerial Advisory Panel on voluntary assisted dying: final report. July 2017. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj‐1538871851 (viewed July 2023).
- 2. Parliament of Victoria. Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017; version 5. 19 June 2021. https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in‐force/acts/voluntary‐assisted‐dying‐act‐2017/005 (viewed July 2023).
- 3. Department of Health (Western Australia). Ministerial Expert Panel on voluntary assisted dying. Final report. 2019. https://www.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/Files/Corporate/general‐documents/Voluntary‐assisted‐dying/PDF/voluntary‐assisted‐dying‐final‐report.pdf (viewed July 2023).
- 4. Parliament of Western Australia. Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2019. 19 Dec 2019. https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/prod/filestore.nsf/FileURL/mrdoc_42491.pdf/$FILE/Voluntary%20Assisted%20Dying%20Act%202019%20‐%20%5B00‐00‐00%5D.pdf?OpenElement (viewed July 2023).
- 5. Parliament of the Northern Territory. Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 (draft). https://parliament.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/367953/95amended.pdf (viewed July 2023).
- 6. Parliament of Australia. Euthanasia Laws Act 1997. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2004A05118 (viewed July 2023).
- 7. Parliament of Australia. Restoring Territory Right Act 2022. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd2223a/23bd005#:~:text=%5B16%5D%20The%20Bill%20passed%20the,99%20ayes%2C%2037%20noes) (viewed July 2023).
- 8. Waller K, Del Villar K, Willmott L, White B. Voluntary assisted dying in Australia: a comparative and critical analysis of state laws. UNSW Law Journal 2023; https://eprints.qut.edu.au/238547 [online ahead of print].
- 9. Roehr B. Assisted dying around the world. BMJ 2021; 374: n2200.
- 10. ABC News. Bendigo woman Kerry Robertson becomes first Victorian to use Voluntary Assisted Dying Act. ABC News (Australia), updated 5 Aug 2019. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019‐08‐04/bendigo‐woman‐first‐victorian‐use‐voluntary‐assisted‐dying‐law/11382332?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web (viewed July 2023).
- 11. White BP, Jeanneret R, Close E, Willmott L. Access to voluntary assisted dying in Victoria: a qualitative study of family caregivers’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators. Med J Aust 2023; 219: 211‐217.
- 12. Parliament of Australia. Criminal Code Act 1995. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00043 (viewed July 2023).
- 13. Hunt R. A perfect storm: fear of litigation. Med J Aust 2020; 212: 140‐141. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2019/210/10/perfect‐storm‐fear‐litigation‐end‐life‐care
- 14. Parliament of South Australia. Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021. https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/__legislation/lz/c/a/voluntary%20assisted%20dying%20act%202021/current/2021.29.auth.pdf (viewed July 2023).
- 15. Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board. Report of operations July 2021 to June 2022. Safer Care Victoria, June 2022. https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022‐09/Voluntary%20Assisted%20Dying%20Review%20Board%20Report%20of%20Operations%20July%202021‐June%2022_FINAL.pdf (viewed July 2023).
- 16. Voluntary Assisted Dying Board Western Australia. Annual report 2021–22. 16 Nov 2022. https://www.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/Corp/Documents/Health‐for/Voluntary‐assisted‐dying/VAD‐Board‐Annual‐Report‐2021‐22.pdf (viewed July 2023).
- 17. Sellars M, White B, Yates P, Willmott L. Medical practitioners’ views and experiences of being involved in voluntary assisted dying in Victoria, Australia: a qualitative interview study among participating doctors. Soc Sci Med 2022; 292: 114568.
- 18. Oregon Health Authority. Oregon Death with Dignity Act: 2021 data summary. 28 Feb 2022. https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PROVIDERPARTNERRESOURCES/EVALUATIONRESEARCH/DEATHWITHDIGNITYACT/Documents/year24.pdf (viewed July 2023).
- 19. Health Canada. Third annual report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada 2021. July 2022. https://www.canada.ca/en/health‐canada/services/publications/health‐system‐services/annual‐report‐medical‐assistance‐dying‐2021.html (viewed July 2023).
- 20. Federale Controle‐ en Evaluatiecommissie Euthanasie (Belgium). Euthanasie: cijfers van 2022 [press release]. 17 Feb 2023. https://overlegorganen.gezondheid.belgie.be/nl/documenten/euthanasie‐cijfers‐van‐2022 (viewed July 2023).
- 21. Regional Euthanasia Review Committees (Netherlands). Annual report 2021. Apr 2022. https://english.euthanasiecommissie.nl/binaries/euthanasiecommissie‐en/documenten/publications/annual‐reports/2002/annual‐reports/annual‐reports/RTE_JV2021_+Annual+Raport_English.pdf (viewed July 2023).
- 22. Palliative Care Australia. Voluntary assisted dying in Australia. Guiding principles for those providing care to people living with a life‐limiting illness. 31 Oct 2022. https://palliativecare.org.au/statement/voluntary‐assisted‐dying‐in‐australia‐guiding‐principles‐for‐those‐providing‐care‐to‐people‐living‐with‐a‐life‐limiting‐illness‐2 (viewed July 2023).
- 23. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Causes of death, Australia. Reference period 2020. 29 Sept 2021. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes‐death/causes‐death‐australia/2020 (viewed July 2023).
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