Professor Ben White:

I will take some of those questions in turn. I will disclose the evidence I am relying on in concluding that voluntary assisted dying is safe in Australia. There are the oversight reports that the voluntary assisted dying review boards will produce, publish and make transparent in terms of their data. There is also the body of research that I mentioned before. The Deputy is correct in saying that 140 interviews across three states are obviously not a survey of population or a survey of experience. It is qualitative research. Those are very large numbers for qualitative studies, but at the same time, I would not purport to say that they are a population-level study in terms of the reliability pyramid. It is not at that level, but it is the most reliable evidence that we have to date in Australia.

On the Canadian experience and whether that is an issue or concern for Australia, our parliaments took a very long time to consider whether voluntary assisted dying laws should be allowed. There were 40 attempts across various states and territories before the first law was actually passed, putting aside the Northern Territory some decades ago. Parliament has control of where those boundaries lie. Each of the parliaments in Australia has chosen narrow, conservative models and that is the choice they have made. It is their choice as to whether they go down the same path as Canada, but there has been no intention, willingness or desire to do so.

There are mandatory reviews in the northern states. The Victorian one has started and has specifically said there will be no changes to the rule.