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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Lucy Bladen

Health system readies for ACT assisted dying changes

A taskforce to help prepare the ACT's health system for voluntary assisted dying will be established by the territory government.

The taskforce will examine referral pathways across the system, the establishment of a pharmacy service, workforce training and communications with the community.

It will also include the establishment of an independent review board to monitor how the bill is being enacted.

The taskforce would work closely with representatives from stakeholder groups, agencies and the broader community, a government statement has said.

The government is hopeful voluntary assisted dying laws will pass in the first half of the year meaning it will be accessible to Canberrans by the end of 2025.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the taskforce would draw on expertise and resources from across the public health system.

"We want our healthcare workers and stakeholders to feel supported and informed as we work to upload the dignity and preferences of eligible Canberrans who choose to engage with voluntary assisted dying, and this taskforce is the next phase of this important process," she said.

Human Rights Minister Tara Cheyne, who introduced the bill, said consultation on voluntary assisted dying informed the establishment of the taskforce.

"From this consultation, we have heard a number of clear needs from the community, which this newly established taskforce will work to address as we continue to progress the legislation through to its implementation," she said.

Human Rights Minister Tara Cheyne. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong

The territory's proposed voluntary assisted dying laws are being considered by a select committee which is conducting an inquiry into the bill.

Under the ACT's legislation, a person will be able to access voluntary assisted dying if they have an illness that is advanced, progressive, and expected to cause death. A person must be "suffering intolerably" and have decision-making capacity.

The ACT does not have a time frame for an expected death, unlike other states, but they must be in the "last stages of life".

The inquiry has heard from a number of health bodies. The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation said nurses potentially face unfair criminal charges for failing to meet voluntary assisted dying timelines.

Doctors have also expressed concern at the use of the term "last stages of life" saying it could be problematic as different health professionals may have views about what this term means.

The taskforce is being funded through the territory government's mid-year budget review and it will cost $2.4 million over two years.

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