Strong demand for assisted dying in NSW
Demand for choice at the end of life remains strong in NSW, with more than 1100 people seeking to access voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in its first seven months, the latest VAD Board report shows.
The Board has released its first Annual Report covering the seven-month period from 28 November 2023 to 30 June 2024.
Board chair, Professor Jenni Millbank, said the first seven months following commencement of the Act demonstrated that voluntary assisted dying is accessible across NSW and working as intended.
“The systems and safeguards put in place during implementation are effective,” she said.
“During the reporting period, 1,141 people made a first request to access voluntary assisted dying and 398 people died due to administration of the voluntary assisted dying substance.
“Similar to other Australian states, our data indicates that people accessing voluntary assisted dying in NSW are more likely to be male, in their mid-seventies, live in a major city, have a cancer diagnosis, and be receiving palliative care,” Prof Millbank said.
The Board said its latest report builds on an Interim Report covering the first three months of VAD access that was published in June 2024. The data reported in the Interim Report is included in the latest report.
The Board said ensuring that the VAD choice was available to terminally ill people wherever they lived in the state remained a priority. Almost two in three applicants (63.8%) were located outside the greater Sydney region.
“In 2024-25 we will continue to focus on ensuring voluntary assisted dying is accessible across the state to diverse populations, where it aligns with their goals of care,” Prof Millbank said.
The key statistics
Looking to 2024/25, Prof Millbank reiterated the Board’s intention to continue to advocate for the removal of unnecessary barriers to access for eligible people.
“The Commonwealth Criminal Code Act 1995 significantly restricts voluntary assisted dying service delivery in NSW, as it does elsewhere in Australia. In conjunction with other Voluntary Assisted Dying Boards (or equivalent), we will continue to advocate for federal legislative changes to enable state and territory voluntary assisted dying laws to operate as they were designed to do.”