‘World’s most expensive euthanasia law’ passes Tasmanian parliament

Tasmania has passed what critics say is the world’s most expensive euthanasia law, with an estimated $2.4m annual cost to assist the death of a predicted 10 people a year.

Mike Gaffney, architect of Tasmania’s VAD bill, defends the cost, estimated at $240,000 per patient. Picture Chris Kidd

Tasmania has passed what critics say is the world’s most expensive euthanasia law, with an estimated $2.4m annual cost to assist the death of a predicted 10 people a year.

The End-of-Life Choices bill passed the state’s upper house in its amended format on Tuesday night, as widely expected, making Tasmania the third state to legalise voluntary euthanasia, behind Victoria and WA.

Architect of the law, independent upper house MP Mike Gaffney, hailed it as “finally” giving Tasmanians suffering intolerably with a terminal illness “the right to choose” the manner of their death.

However, critics said the bill’s safeguards were insufficient to protect the vulnerable and its cost, estimated by the government to be $2.4m a year, could have been better used on palliative care.

In his second reading speech for the bill, Mr Gaffney estimated, based on Victorians’ use of that state’s VAD law, that 10 Tasman­ians a year would use the new law to end their lives.

“At an estimated cost of $240,000 per person, Tas VAD will be arguably the most expensive system in the world, when these funds could be used to provide Tasmanians with a world-class standard palliative care,” said Ben Smith of umbrella group Live and Die Well.

“The use of audiovisual links for VAD consultations (allowed for in the state law) is legally ­defective, medically compromised and open to elder abuse. Vulnerable Tasmanians will be at a significantly increased risk of a wrongful death due to mis­diagnosis or undue influence from relatives off-camera.”

Backers of the bill say its safeguards, including a multistage process requiring approval from two doctors, protect those who are vulnerable.

Mr Gaffney defended the cost. “As with all legislative initiatives, the government will budget ­appropriate funds for the VAD process to be implemented, as reflecting the wishes of the Tasmanian people,” he told The Australian.

“It is pleasing to hear recently from the Premier that there will be a substantial investment to ­deliver new palliative care ­services.”

Mr Gaffney said he hoped the legislation — the fourth attempt at VAD in Tasmania in a little more than a decade — would offer assisted dying from mid-next year, after an 18-month implementation period.

Hobart Catholic Archbishop Julian Porteous reaffirmed that Catholic health and aged-care services in Tasmania would boycott the new laws, offering an alternative for people who wanted services “free of assisted suicide and euthanasia”.

“The answer for those experiencing great difficulties as they try to manage a terminal illness is not assisted suicide or euthanasia,” said Archbishop Porteous.

“Rather the answer is the provision of better palliative care for all Tasmanians which requires significant additional funding to improve and expand palliative care in Tasmania.”