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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-09-14 Daily Xml
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Voluntary Assisted Dying

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS (15:12): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the minister inform the council about the release of the second quarterly report on South Australia's voluntary assisted dying scheme?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:12): I thank the honourable member for her question, and I would be most happy to do so. I think this probably completes an answer that was given in relation to a question asked in recent weeks about the second quarterly report and the statistics contained therein.

Back in June, I informed the council about the release of South Australia's inaugural voluntary assisted dying quarterly report since the legislation commenced in late January of this year. That report, published by the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board, highlighted the myriad positive impacts that those new laws had in helping South Australians with a terminal illness having the choice to die with dignity.

In August of this year, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board published their second quarterly report on South Australia's voluntary assisted dying scheme, covering the period 1 May to 30 June 2023, and it has evidenced that the smooth operation of the scheme has continued.

The report affirms that, since commencement in January, the voluntary assisted dying laws have received consistently positive feedback both from people as they undertake steps to choose to access the voluntary assisted dying scheme and from loved ones, particularly regarding the holistic support offered through VAD services and the comfort and control afforded to suffering patients.

In a covering message from Associate Professor Melanie Turner, presiding member of the review board, she summaries that this latest report shows there has been a gradual increase in the number of people accessing voluntary assisted dying in South Australia over the past two months in comparison with the first quarterly report. This trend will be able to be further monitored when the annual Voluntary Assisted Dying Activity Report is released later, after the first 12 months of operation.

Associate Professor Turner also reinforced the continued feedback that the review board have been receiving about the role voluntary assisted dying plays in alleviating suffering for individuals and thus the peace of mind that can be afforded during those last few months. Some of the testimonials shared in the report include a testimonial saying:

I just want to say how grateful we all are that dad could leave this world on his terms. I just want to preach from the hilltops, he was 94 and he died with dignity.

Another said:

I just wanted you to know that I have found this whole process so liberating. I want to congratulate the whole team on how beautifully sensitive, respectful and non-judgemental the whole process has been.

Looking at some of the statistics that the report published, between 1 May and 30 June 2023 a total of 32 people who were the subject of a voluntary assisted dying permit passed away. The breakdown of that figure includes 19 people who passed away as a result of self-administration of the voluntary assisted dying substance, eight people who passed away as a result of practitioner administration of the substance and five people who passed away without taking the substance.

That is a hallmark of voluntary assisted dying schemes not just in South Australia but around the world, that there is a not insignificant proportion of people who apply, who are accepted into the scheme, who have the substance delivered but who pass away without taking the substance, some of whom die before they have an opportunity but many of whom do not choose to take the substance. There is a lot of evidence to support that having the substance available is a palliating effect to many in those last years of their life.

Of the 32 people who passed away who were the subject of a voluntary assisted dying permit, 19 had cancer as the disease, illness or medical condition for which they were eligible for voluntary assisted dying, five people had a neurodegenerative disease as the eligible disease or illness, and three people had an eligible respiratory failure condition.

Since the commencement of voluntary assisted dying in this state, a total of 112 medical practitioners have registered to undertake the mandatory practitioner training to be able to deliver voluntary assisted dying. I am informed that 27 per cent of those registered doctors reside in regional areas of South Australia, and that number is expected to continue to rise.

I would like to sincerely thank all of the medical practitioners, pharmacists, care navigators and health professionals for their continued professional and sensitive support provided to patients and families throughout this process. It is a real credit to all who work in this scheme that the wishes of a person with an insufferable illness at the end of their life can be facilitated, providing peace of mind to both patients and their families.

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