Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2021 (Qld)

An Act about access to voluntary assisted dying and related matters, and to amend this Act, the Coroners Act 2003, the Guardianship and Administration Act 2000, the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 and the Powers of Attorney Act 1998 for particular purposes The Parliament of Queensland enacts—

Part 1 Preliminary

Division 1 Introduction

1 Short title This Act may be cited as the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021.

2 Commencement (1) Part 8 and section 153 commence 6 months after the date of assent. (2) The remaining provisions of this Act commence on 1 January 2023.

3 Main purposes of Act The main purposes of this Act are— (a) to give persons who are suffering and dying, and who meet eligibility criteria, the option of requesting medical assistance to end their lives; and (b) to establish a lawful process for eligible persons to exercise that option; and (c) to establish safeguards to— (i) ensure voluntary assisted dying is accessed only by persons who have been assessed to be eligible; and (ii) protect vulnerable persons from coercion and exploitation; and (d) to provide legal protection for health practitioners who choose to assist, or not to assist, persons to exercise the option of ending their lives in accordance with this Act; and (e) to establish a Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board and other mechanisms to ensure compliance with this Act.

4 Act binds all persons This Act binds all persons, including the State.

Division 2 Principles of voluntary assisted dying

5 Principles The principles that underpin this Act are— (a) human life is of fundamental importance; and (b) every person has inherent dignity and should be treated equally and with compassion and respect; and (c) a person's autonomy, including autonomy in relation to end of life choices, should be respected; and (d) every person approaching the end of life should be provided with high quality care and treatment, including palliative care, to minimise the person's suffering and maximise the person's quality of life; and (e) access to voluntary assisted dying and other end of life choices should be available regardless of where a person lives in Queensland; and (f) a person should be supported in making informed decisions about end of life choices; and (g) a person who is vulnerable should be protected from coercion and exploitation; and (h) a person's freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief and enjoyment of their culture should be respected.