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Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying bill cleared its latest hurdle. What’s next?
The Victorian Government’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill – which successfully navigated the state’s Lower House in October – passed its second reading vote last week, with MPs in the Upper House voting 22 to 18 in favour of allowing the bill to continue to the next stage.
Victoria's Voluntary Assisted Dying bill will next be debated in the Legislative Council.
The bill will now be debated again in the Legislative Council, before a third and final vote takes place. MPs can question the bill and propose amendments during this final stage of debate.
Many amendments and suggestions likely to be discussed have already been raised in the most recent debate. They include increased funding for palliative care in rural and regional areas, stronger safeguards around the storage and disposal of unused lethal medications, and reduced entry requirement for terminal patients from a 12-month life expectancy to six months, with an exception for patients with motor neurone disease.
The final debate will begin on Tuesday 14 November and is expected to be as thorough and emotional as those that preceded it. It will likely be a tight contest – the bill needs 21 supporters to be passed into law, with 19 MPs having so far declared full support.
Victoria Victorian-Government voluntary-assisted-dying
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