The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee has appointed Professor Ben White as its legal advisor for the inquiry into Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), as confirmed in the committee’s July Interim Report and minutes of proceedings.
Professor White is a well-known advocate for VAD and is currently leading a research project at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to “further the evidence-base on Voluntary Assisted Dying for people with dementia”, “identify possible legislative models that could allow for access to VAD for people with dementia” and “provide a basis for informed Australian public policy debates and law reform deliberations”.
Nicholas Lay, NT Director of the Australian Christian Lobby said, “it’s unfathomable that our assisted suicide laws in the NT are being drafted by an entrenched pro-VAD advocate who is leading the charge for dementia patients to have access to assisted suicide in Australia. Ben White’s appointment was also made before any public consultation had taken place.”
“This raises serious concerns about the integrity of the NT consultation process on assisted suicide before it has even begun. We call for Ben White and his team to be removed from this inquiry to restore public confidence that this inquiry process will be conducted fairly.”
