Victorians suffering with an advanced and incurable illness, disease or medical condition would be able to seek a medically assisted death from 2019, under a model to be considered by the Victorian Parliament.

Key points: An expert panel has made 66 recommendations around the drafting of an assisted-dying law

An expert panel has made 66 recommendations around the drafting of an assisted-dying law Under the model, Victorians would be able to seek a medically assisted death from 2019

Under the model, Victorians would be able to seek a medically assisted death from 2019 Patients will have to make three requests and two doctors must assess

An expert panel chaired by former AMA president Professor Brian Owler outlined how a Victorian assisted dying scheme would work.

Only people over the age of 18, who live in Victoria and are an Australian citizen or permanent resident would be eligible.

Politicians will be granted a conscience vote on the matter later this year.

If the law is passed it would not become operational for 18 months.

Dr Owler's committee made 66 recommendations to set up the scheme.

"In essence this reform is about alleviating the suffering of people who are dying and it's about respecting their choice about the manner and the timing of their death," he said.

"I'm sure that this topic will be debated in the coming weeks and months and months.

"We think that this model, which we acknowledge is the most conservative model for assisted dying in the world, is the right model for Victoria."

Only a patient can initiate a request

To qualify, a person must be of "sound decision-making capacity" and the condition they are suffering from must be expected to cause death within 12 months and be "causing suffering that cannot be relieved in a manner that is tolerable to the person".

Dementia patients will not qualify, and while a mental illness or disability is not a reason to access the scheme, they will not preclude someone from seeking an assisted death if they have a separate terminal illness.

Only the patient can initiate a request for assisted dying, and the person must be assessed by two doctors, one which must be an expert in the person's particular illness.

One doctor must also have at least five years post-fellowship experience and all will have to complete specialist training to be involved in the requests.

The system is proposed to work in the following way:

Firstly, the patient makes a request to their medical practitioner, who will make an assessment

Firstly, the patient makes a request to their medical practitioner, who will make an assessment Another practitioner makes an independent assessment

Another practitioner makes an independent assessment The patient then makes a written declaration of an enduring request. This is to be witnessed by two people, one must not be a family member or anyone who may be a beneficiary from the person's death

The patient then makes a written declaration of an enduring request. This is to be witnessed by two people, one must not be a family member or anyone who may be a beneficiary from the person's death Finally, the patient makes a third and final request to their medical practitioner. In most cases there will be a minimum of 10 days between first and last request before the medication is dispensed.

The doctor must ensure the person is properly informed of the:

Diagnosis and prognosis

Diagnosis and prognosis Treatment options

Treatment options Palliative care options

Palliative care options Expected outcome of taking the lethal dose

Expected outcome of taking the lethal dose Possible risks of the lethal dose

The doctor must also inform the patient "they are under no obligation to continue with their request for voluntary assisted dying, and that they may withdraw their request at any time".

Special board to review all requests

The drug will be self-administered after being dispensed from a compounding chemist.

The panel has recommended the lethal medication be kept in special locked boxes, with medication to be returned to a doctor in the case of a patient being too incapacitated to take it.

In cases of people who are unable to administer the drug, such as motor-neurone disease patients, a doctor would administer the lethal dose.

Dr Owler's committee has also recommended that any scheme protect a person's insurance rights and annuities, with the death certificate to record the cause as the underlying disease, not assisted suicide.

A special board will review all cases and be alerted to all requests.

Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the limited and conservative model contained 68 safeguards to protect Victorians and health practitioners.

"It is my very firm, yet personal view, that we need to do better by those that are dying, those that are terminally ill, those that are bearing suffering that is unspeakable for them," she said.

"We are a death-denying society.

"It's my view that it is cruel to let the status quo continue to be the state of law in the state of Victoria."

Dementia patients will not qualify to access the proposals. ( ABC Southern Qld: Peter Gunders )

New offence to be created to guard against abuse

One of the concerns from many MPs, and the wider community, was that the system could be open to abuse.

The panel has moved to assuage these concerns by recommending new criminal offences for anyone who induces someone to request or self-administer assisted death.

A new charge will also be created for people administering a lethal dose to a person who does not have decision-making capacity.

Doctors will be able to conscientiously object to any aspect of the process.

"This is the most conservative model or framework that exists in the world," Dr Owler said.

Victoria would become the first state to introduce the laws in Australia.

Assisted dying laws operate in Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium and five US states.

Dr Owler said the Victorian model was closest to the system in the US state of Oregon, which had operated for 20 years, where just 0.39 per cent of all deaths were medically assisted.

Based on those rates, Dr Owler estimated that about 150 Victorians would access the scheme per year.

The Andrews Government will respond to the report soon, with legislation expected in Parliament in August.

Premier Daniel Andrews and many in his Cabinet, including Health Minster Jill Hennessy and the Attorney-General Martin Pakula, back assisted dying.

Victoria is debating the issue after a multi-party committee recommended the scheme during an "end-of-life choices" inquiry.

Doctors 'should not fast-forward death', Catholic Archbishop says

Australia's largest aged care services provider St Vincent's Health, however, said the proposal posed too many risks lacked detail.

St Vincent's Health chief executive Toby Hall said the model did not include a requirement for a patient to "properly engage" with a palliative care specialist before requesting assisted suicide.

"Under the model, Victorians will have up to one year to make a request for assisted suicide with their doctor. Prognostication is not an exact science. Most doctors find it a challenge to diagnose how long someone has to live," Mr Hall said.

"At one year, the margin for error significantly increases and most clinicians would find it a difficult assessment to make — particularly those who are not formally trained in palliative care — and it is likely to be an ongoing point of disagreement.

"We're concerned that patients could end their life when they may in fact still have several years to live; robbing them of the opportunity to reconsider their situation which could have improved over time.

"Every bit of … experience tells us that creating high quality and accessible palliative care is where we should be channelling our efforts and resources to address people's end of life concerns."

Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart said the changes would "normalise" suicide and impose "unreasonable" demands on medical professionals.

"While the report recommends what it calls safeguards, the truth is that these safeguards are never going to be enough," he said.

"Evidence world-wide is that once such legislation is passed, that is only the beginning of the impact and the far-reaching effects extend even further.

"A doctor is there to promote health and protect life – not to fast-forward death."

Harry Gardner, 90, is dying from prostate cancer and wants the right to choose when and how he dies. ( ABC News: Jean Edwards )

Proposed laws 'humane and compassionate', advocates say

Melbourne man Harry Gardner, 90, is dying from prostate cancer and has visited state MPs to urge them to support assisted dying legislation.

"I don't want to suffer," he said.

"The last stages of prostate cancer are about as bad as they come. I think very highly of my family, so I don't want them to be in anguish with pain on this wreck of a body as it would be at the time."

Dying with Dignity Victoria president Lesley Vick said the proposal which would lead to "humane and compassionate laws".

"This model will enable our state politicians to support a voluntary assisted dying law that reflects modern community values and expectations," she said.

In a statement, AMA Victoria's said it would review the proposal and would continue to advocate for specific safeguards to protect the rights of doctors and patients.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Victorian secretary, Lisa Fitzpatrick, said the union supported proposed safeguards.

"We believe the final report sets out a blueprint for a rigorous but not overly onerous process that provides a person, who is already dying, with the ability to make an autonomous decision about alleviating their own suffering," she said.

"The majority, but not all, of Victorian nurses support voluntary assisted dying and we believe this report provides a balanced approach that has responded to concerns raised during the consultation process and provides protections for dying Victorians and their doctors and nurses."

Greens MP and deputy-chair of the inquiry, Nina Springle, said she believed most MPs would vote in favour of assisted dying laws when they go to parliament.

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