UTAS Review of VAD Bill

Read the Independent Review of the End of Life Choices (Voluntary Assisted Dying) Bill 2020. The Executive Summary starts at page 13 of the PDF.

Media release – Peter Gutwein, Premier, 22 February 2021

Release of UTAS Independent Review report and Government Agency advice on Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation

Today, I have written to all Members of Parliament releasing both the University of Tasmania (UTAS) Independent Review report into Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation along with advice from Government Agencies on the implementation of the Bill, should it pass the House of Assembly.

This is in line with the commitment I made last year, and will allow all Members to be fully informed on the Bill to ensure that if passed, the legislation is the best law possible and that it affords real protections for the most vulnerable in our community.

The matter of voluntary assisted dying is complex and I trust both the UTAS Independent Review report and the advice from Government agencies will assist in further informing Members on this issue.

It remains the Government’s intention to resume debate as the first order of business when Parliament resumes on 2 March.

The UTAS Independent Review report can be found at: https://www.utas.edu.au/vad-review

The Government advice can be found at: http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/policy/vad

Media release – Bastian Seidel MLC, Shadow Health Minister, 23 February 2021

Tasmanians need action now – not Liberal divisions – on voluntary assisted dying

The hopelessly divided Gutwein Government is engaging in unnecessary politics around Tasmania’s Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation rather than making the care of terminally ill Tasmanians their priority.

Shadow Health Minister Bastian Seidel said Liberal Ministers such as Michael Ferguson and Attorney-General Elise Archer were openly undermining Peter Gutwein, who has committed to debating the Bill next week.

“The fact is this is the safest Bill in Australia but senior Ministers who are personally opposed to it are now engaged in a bizarre and unnecessary war of press releases,” Dr Seidel said.

“The former leadership rivals Ms Archer and Mr Ferguson have joined forces in trying to tear down a sound Bill.

“They will go to any length to find any cause to fail terminally ill Tasmanians who are not finding answers in palliative care.

“They are putting their political will before dying patients.

“They are doing this without even considering the UTAS evidence because they don’t want to look at the evidence, they don’t want to listen to the facts. It’s time for the Premier to show compassion and care in the debate and put a stop to the in-fighting.

“Debate in the Upper House was defined by respect and diligent consideration and if Ms Archer had concerns at that time she should have raised them with the Liberals’ Legislative Council Members. They, in turn, could have raised her concerns at that time.

“Now Ms Archer and others are turning this into a political football in the Lower House between two opposing groups within the Liberal Party.

“This is not the time for the Liberal Party to be wasting time on in-fighting and shenanigans because Tasmanians just want them to get on with it.”