Two PhD scholarships are available for this Australian Research Council Future Fellowship research project led by Professor Ben White. It is intended that the PhD candidates would work primarily on the comparative case studies of voluntary assisted dying (VAD) regulation in Canada and Belgium (where VAD has been…
Physician attitudes to voluntary assisted dying
Voluntary assisted dying (VAD) became legal in the Australian state of Victoria on 19 June 2019 and will be legal in Western Australia from 2021. Other Australian states are progressing similar law reform processes. In Australia and internationally, doctors are central to the operation of all legal VAD…
ACHLR launches new online seminar series: Coffee with a Colleague
The Australian Centre for Health Law Research (ACHLR) has launched a new online seminar series called Coffee with a Colleague. In this series, ACHLR researchers will discuss their research and projects with key collaborators and colleagues. In the first episode (introduced by Associate Professor Tina Cockburn), Dr Eliana…
Associate Professor Andrew McGee discusses Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation
Why making voluntary assisted dying legal best respects both sides of this debate After almost three decades of refusing to agree to it, it looks as though Australian parliaments are slowly beginning to warm to the idea of voluntary assisted dying (VAD). Legislation has already been passed in…
Queensland Parliamentary Committee endorses Willmott and White recommendations for voluntary assisted dying reform
A Queensland Parliamentary Committee recently handed down its Report on Voluntary Assisted Dying. Recommendation One of that report was that the Queensland Government should introduce legislation to legalise voluntary assisted dying based on draft legislation submitted to the Committee by Professors Lindy Willmott and Ben White. The Chair…
Resource limitations and End of Life decision making
Approximately 30% of adults in Australia die after a decision to stop or not start potentially life-sustaining treatments, including mechanical ventilation, artificial nutrition and hydration, and CPR. While these decisions are a common part of mainstream medical practice, they raise practical, legal and ethical challenges. A central justification…
Law-making about voluntary assisted dying must be based on reliable evidence
The Queensland Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee will shortly deliver its report about voluntary assisted dying. The key question is whether or not the law should be changed to permit voluntary assisted dying. If the Committee recommends reform, its report will be…
Professor Ben White secures ARC Future Fellowship
Professor Ben White, from QUT’s Australian Centre for Health Law Research (ACHLR), is one of four QUT researchers named as Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellows. Ben will receive $932,498 to investigate enhancing end-of-life care through a new and holistic regulatory framework. Current regulations are complex and fragmented…
Australian Centre for Health Law Research
The Australian Centre for Health Law Research’s new website is now live. The website showcases ACHLR’s research strength across four research streams led by co-directors Associate Professor Fiona McDonald and Associate Professor Tina Cockburn: End of Life, which explores the legal, ethical and policy issues of death and dying.…