WA Euthanasia Recommendations even "more extreme" than Victoria's

The Government of Western Australia is looking to introduce laws more liberal than Victoria's euthanasia laws. An expert panel in its recent report recommended that patients should be eligible if they are likely to die within 12 months. This differs from Victoria where terminally ill people must have less than 6 months to live.

An expert panel, chaired by former Governor Malcolm McCusker, recommended nurse practitioners be able to complete the second assessment for patients to have euthanasia. This differs from Victoria again, where eligibility for euthanasia can only be approved by 2 doctors. Patients with Alzheimer's or dementia would be excluded under the panel's recommendations.

Differences between Victoria and Western Australia

Victoria

• Eligible if given an assessment of having no more than 6 months to live, or 12 months with a neurodegenerative diagnosis
• Assessment of patient's eligibility can only be made by 2 doctors
• Only patients are permitted to begin the conversation of voluntary assisted dying
• A patient must be a resident for at least 12 months to make a request for euthanasia

Western Australia

• Eligible if likely to die within 12 months
• Second assessment of patient's eligibility can be made by a nurse practitioner
• Doctors will be allowed to raise the subject of euthanasia with their patients
• Euthanasia will be available to those who have lived in WA for less than 12 months, if approved by the State Administrative Tribunal. The panel cited WA's large fly in fly out population as the justification for this recommendation.

Meanwhile, Australian Medical Association WA president Omar Khorshid said he was disappointed in the report's recommendations.

Dr Khorshid said there were some stark differences between the Victorian legislation and the panel's recommendations for WA. "The one that I think will have the most impact is the fact that any two doctors, or in fact just a doctor and a nurse, can take a patient through this pathway without having to seek any form of approval," he said.

Dr Khorshid also took issue with the broad timeframe within which a patient can be eligible to be considered for voluntary euthanasia. "The longer the period, the morce difficult it is to be sure," he said.

"And there's no doubt that by picking 12 months instead of six months like Victoria, that it's going to be harder for doctors to be sure, and it's going to really broaden the number of people that are potentially eligible for voluntary assisted dying."

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“This is a cult of suicide and death that I want no part of. In response to the challenges of suffering and despair there is always a better way than killing.”

Extract from Hansard [COUNCIL—Thurs 10 April 2014] p2449b-2458a Hon Nick Goiran MLC