Voluntary assisted dying soon could be law in NSW

Voluntary assisted dying could soon become legal in NSW, with the numbers on a bill set to be introduced into state parliament said to be “very close.”

Only a handful of votes in NSW parliament’s upper house are likely to determine whether a bill to legalise Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) passes into law.

Independent MP Alex Greenwich will this week introduce a bill to allow terminally ill people to access VAD in very limited ­circumstances.

Premier Dominic Perrottet’s commitment to facilitating a conscience vote in the Liberal Party makes the bill more likely to be successful but the numbers are said to be “very close” in the Legislative Council.

NSW Independent MP Alex Greenwich will introduce an assisted dying bill into parliament this week. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

Cabinet is set to consider how to deal with the legislation as early as today, before the bill is introduced by Mr Greenwich on Thursday.

Up to 30 MPs from the government, opposition, and crossbench will “co-sponsor” the bill – a record for any legislation across the country.

Mr Greenwich hoped the bill would be dealt with “this year,” but Covid restrictions on parliament preventing all MPs from ­attending the building could pose a challenge in putting the matter to a vote. Both major parties will allow MPs to vote according to their conscience for the bill.

Liberals including Mulgoa MP Tanya Davies have previously called for former Premier Gladys Berejiklian to honour a 2019 promise and rule out a conscience vote. Mr Perrottet, has said he will support Liberals voting along conscience lines.

A previous bid to legalise VAD was voted down by just one vote in the upper house in 2017.

NSW is the only state in Australia in which VAD remains ­illegal; the Territories are prevented by the Commonwealth on legislating the measure.