phone 03 6231 0755

fax 03 6223 6136

postal PO Box 1126

Sandy Bay

Tas 7006

www.tascoss.org.au

Submission to

Voluntary Assisted Dying: A proposal for Tasmania 6 March 2013

About TasCOSS

TasCOSS is the peak body for the Tasmanian community

services sector. Its membership comprises individuals and

organisations active in the provision of community services

to low-income, vulnerable and disadvantaged Tasmanians.

TasCOSS represents the interests of its members and their

clients to government, regulators, the media and the

public. Through our advocacy and policy development,

we draw attention to the causes of poverty and

disadvantage and promote the adoption of effective

solutions to address these issues.

Authorised by

Tony Reidy, Chief Executive

For enquiries

Wynne Russell, Policy and Research

Analyst

1

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the consultation process for Voluntary

Assisted Dying: A Proposal for Tasmania.

TasCOSS believes that individuals facing terminal illness or major suffering have the

fundamental right to determine for themselves at what point they consider the

quality of their lives to have deteriorated to the point where they no longer wish to

live, and we argue that they should have the ability, as a fundamental human right,

to end their lives with dignity.

We hold that it is crucial that end-of-life decisions are based upon the patient’s

choice, rather than the personal views of individual doctors. And we believe that the

medical system as a whole will benefit from moving responsibility for such choices

away from compassionate medical staff to patients themselves.

This does not mean that TasCOSS wishes to see any Tasmanian driven to decide to

end their life. We are concerned that inequities in the health care and support

system may deprive low-income and disadvantaged Tasmanians of the range of

care options that better-off citizens can access to continue their lives in comfort and

dignity. These inequities are particularly visible in the areas of:

In-home care and assistance, which may be difficult and expensive to obtain

in rural and regional settings

Psychological support, which suffers the same constraints

Pain management, many approaches to which (complementary and

alternative therapies, for instance) are not covered by Medicare.

These inequities have the potential to leave low-income and disadvantaged

Tasmanians more vulnerable to a despairing, rather than empowered choice to end

their life, whether due to lack of care, emotional or financial pressure, or simple

misery.

In conjunction with any new legislation to support voluntary assisted dying, we

strongly call for:

The strengthening and expansion of palliative care facilities and support

services in the state, particularly in rural and remote areas, to ensure that no

Tasmanian feels abandoned in a time of need

The development of a State government plan for equitable access to pain

services, along the lines of the Queensland Government’s Persistent Pain

Strategy, to ensure that all possible pain management strategies, including

those not covered by Medicare, are available to all sufferers

Effective measures to combat all forms of abuse, including elder abuse, to

ensure that no Tasmanian feels pressured—financially or psychologically—into

seeking to end their life.

2

Increased funding as well as whole-of-government commitment to mental

health support services, to ensure that all Tasmanians have every reason to

choose to continue to live.

These measures are critical to ensuring that moves towards Voluntary Assisted Dying

are truly patient-centred, as the consultation paper proposes.

Thank you for accepting our submission. We are happy to provide any additional

information necessary.