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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-11-19 Daily Xml
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Advance Care Directives

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (15:32): It was interesting today to meet with representatives of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) and hear about their work. One of the reps was from Naracoorte, one from the emergency department of Lyell McEwin Hospital, and one from a mental health area, as well as union organiser for the ANMF, Rosie Ratcliff.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the union on their education program. I was told, I am pleased to say, having campaigned on this issue for many years, that the advance care directives legislation, as it is taking hold, has made life a little a easier for health professionals, particularly nurses. People are being clear about their life arrangements and wishes, and it has been easier to deal with families who have different views from their patients, from their family member.

For example, it has made a lot clearer what people's views are on the issue of organ and tissue donation. Quite often the person who is at the end of their life has a different point of view from the family on a whole range of issues. The nurses were telling me today that in some cases, as I said, the legislation has started to become more well known, and when people make advance care directives it is a lot clearer what the person concerned thinks.

We also talked about voluntary euthanasia. Although there was no agreement about the choice of voluntary euthanasia, it was very interesting to hear about their first-hand experiences with people who were about to die. So I looked to a very good publication, End of Life Choice, and I think we are up to about our third or fourth newsletter. The 27 October issue talks about nurses supporting the choice in dying, and it says that the nurses' position statement on end of life choice was reviewed and re-endorsed in May 2012. It reads, in part:

Society's approach to voluntary euthanasia should be informed by the moral dimensions of respect for self-determination, concern for quality of life and compassion for those who suffer. Registered nurses, enrolled nurses and registered midwives have a professional responsibility to stay reliably informed about the ethical, legal, cultural and clinical implications of voluntary euthanasia. We support legislative reform so that persons with a terminal or incurable illness that creates unrelieved, profound suffering shall have the right to choose to die with dignity in a manner acceptable to them and shall not be compelled to suffer beyond their wishes.

I think the other important point, and one I have always felt very strongly about, is that there needs to be policy with regard to doctors and health professionals in relation to people who conscientiously object to voluntary euthanasia, and so their policy also says:

Legislative reform must ensure that no individual, group or organisation shall be compelled against their will to either participate or not participate in an assisted or supported death of a sufferer.

I think these are really important points that need to be taken on board, especially for those of us who are keen to reintroduce legislation of this sort in South Australia. I also thought it was really interesting to talk to the nurses about the sort of work they do. They raised a number of issues with me that I have asked them to summarise and, hopefully, the nurses' union will take them up with the health minister.

I think they are things that would be quite helpful to improve the efficiency of our health sector. I also suggested that it is something where, if the grievance procedure in a particular workplace, any workplace, cannot be resolved, and you go through the steps of trying to solve an issue, then you can always talk not only to your union but also to your local member of parliament. I guess I am putting on notice that there are probably going to be a number of members of parliament in this chamber who will be receiving some complaints from their constituents.

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