Arabic version: نائب في الإقليم الشمالي يسعى إلى تعديل مشروع قانون المساعدة الطبية الطوعية على الموت

According to ABC News, Northern Territory Country Liberal Party MLA Tanzil Rahman plans to move three amendments to his party’s recently introduced Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill when parliament next sits this month. The bill is expected to pass in a conscience vote and would legalise voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in the NT.

The Territory is the last Australian jurisdiction where VAD is not legal. The federal government overturned the NT’s Australia-first laws in 1997. If passed, the new bill proposed by Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby would make VAD legal in all Australian states and territories.

The legislation would limit access to people assessed as having 12 months or less to live, and would prevent healthcare professionals from initiating VAD discussions with patients. Both provisions differ from recommendations in a parliamentary inquiry report led by Dr Rahman and tabled in October last year.

Dr Rahman’s amendments would remove the 12-month prognosis restriction, permit healthcare workers to raise VAD where they believe a patient meets eligibility requirements, and stop care facilities from refusing to provide VAD information in residential settings. He said the changes were in the best interests of Territorians and were consistent with best practice and scholarly evidence.

Council on the Ageing NT chief executive Sue Shearer supported the proposed amendments but said she did not want the bill delayed. She said doctors could hold conscientious objections, but that should not affect patients’ ability to be told they have choices. If the amendments fail, she hopes the prognosis limit and gag clause will be considered in a future government-promised review.