By Grace Jones | posted on September 26, 2019
WESTERN Australia is a step closer to passing the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill after the lower house of Parliament voted in favour of passing the Bill to the upper house on Tuesday night.
The Bill passed through the Legislative Assembly without any amendments with the final vote occurring at 9.36pm with 45 for and 11 against.
In total the Assembly deliberated for 70 hours and 50 minutes and considered in detail 184 clauses in the Bill.
Premier Mark McGowan said it was a historic moment for the state.
“We took a significant step forward to giving Western Australians with a life-limiting or terminal illness the dignity they deserve at the end of their lives,” he said.
It has taken two years to reach this stage with consultation, research and finally legislation introduced to Parliament in early August.
Health Minister Roger Cook said voluntary assisted dying would provide Western Australians an additional choice.
“Introducing this legislation is a complex and challenging task,” he said.
“I’d like to thank my colleagues in Parliament for their hard work and dedication in delivering the passage of this Bill through the lower house.”
If the Legislative Council passes the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill, West Australia will become the second state in the country to introduce similar legislation after Victoria’s Bill came into effect in June this year.
