More Western Australians will now have the opportunity to comment on key issues related to proposed voluntary assisted dying legislation, due to be introduced to State Parliament later in 2019.
The WA Government has announced that additional public forums will be held in Mandurah, Carnarvon, Karratha and Northam due to high public demand. Targeted sessions to assist with providing written feedback have also been scheduled in Albany.
This follows the March 2019 release of a discussion paper by the Ministerial Expert Panel on Voluntary Assisted Dying, which outlines key issues for the proposed legislation.
Consultation sessions have already been scheduled throughout April 2019 and May 2019 in Perth, Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton and Broome.
The sessions will be led by members of the Ministerial Expert Panel on Voluntary Assisted Dying, chaired by Malcolm McCusker AC QC.
The WA Minister for Health will attend sessions in Carnarvon and Karratha to hear directly from members of the public and health professionals about their views on the questions asked in the discussion paper.
People who cannot attend a consultation session may lodge written submissions for consideration by the panel. Feedback will help inform the expert panel’s final report to the Government.
The purpose of the discussion paper and the public consultations is to assist the development of fully informed and workable legislation, not to review or debate the arguments for or against voluntary assisted dying.
The closing date for submissions in response to the discussion paper is May 24, 2019.
Registration details, the discussion paper and more information about the planned consultation sessions and upcoming legislation can be found on the WA Department of Health’s website.
Source: WA Government