In Parliament, I provided an update on the progress of voluntary assisted dying legislation for NSW. I’m working on the bill now and intend to release a draft bill in July, and introduce a final bill in September this year.

The NSW bill will be largely based on the Western Australian model, which improved on the Victorian laws, and informed by the Tasmanian and Queensland reviews. Voluntary assisted dying will be accessible to adults with a terminal illness that will cause death within six months – or 12 months for neurodegenerative conditions – and where suffering cannot be tolerably relieved. The person must have decision making capacity and be acting voluntarily and without coercion, with two independent eligibility assessments by two separate doctors, plus training for doctors and nurses.

Each step must be documented to a statutory board with oversight powers that will also collect data and report to government. Further safeguards will require appointment of the board by the Attorney General and health minister, and the board will prescribe the substance to be used. My speech: > HERE.