Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023 (ACT)
08 December 2023
The ALA has made a submission to the inquiry into the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023 (ACT), being conducted by the Select Committee on the Bill.
In the ALA’s submission, we first commend the ACT Government and the ACT Legislative Assembly for consulting on voluntary assisted dying, drafting legislation for this reform, and referring the Bill for inquiry – all within a year of the passage through Federal Parliament of the Restoring Territory Rights Bill 2022 (Cth), legislation which allowed the ACT to make its own laws concerning voluntary assisted dying.
Regarding the Bill, our submission addresses the following matters:
- Commencement of the ACT’s voluntary assisted dying scheme;
- Voluntary assisted dying not considered suicide;
- The eligibility requirements for accessing voluntary assisted dying in the ACT;
- The requirements for coordinating practitioners, consulting practitioners and administering practitioners;
- The provisions regarding accessing voluntary assisted dying and death;
- Timeframes throughout the voluntary assisted dying process;
- Accessibility considerations; and
- Future reviews of the ACT’s voluntary assisted dying legislation.
ALA Submission
Final Report