The towns people would be forced to leave in their final days
The Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment (Residential Facilities) Bill 2025, introduced by Liberal MLC Susan Carter proposes that faith-based aged care facilities could decline to facilitate access to voluntary assisted dying, instead taking reasonable steps to transfer the person.
But in many rural towns in NSW, there isn’t anywhere else to go. Preliminary analysis by the Greens in collaboration with Dying with Dignity NSW has identified at least 20 NSW towns where there is only one faith-based residential aged care facility, meaning residents seeking to access their right to voluntary assisted dying would need to be transferred out of town.
Those facilities include:
|
Town |
Facility |
Provider |
|
South West Rocks |
Calvary The Mariner |
Calvary Aged Care Services Pty Ltd |
|
Ulmarra |
Rathgar Lodge |
United Protestant Association of NSW Limited |
|
Howlong |
Oolong Hostel |
United Protestant Association of NSW Limited |
|
Holbrook |
Holbrook Hostel |
United Protestant Association of NSW Limited |
|
Henty |
Myoora Homestead Hostel |
United Protestant Association of NSW Limited |
|
Molong |
Prunus Lodge |
United Protestant Association of NSW Limited |
|
The Rock |
Emily Gardens at the Rock |
Lutheran Aged Care Albury |
|
Mullumbimby |
Catholic Healthcare Coolamon Villa |
Catholic Healthcare Limited |
|
Forbes |
Catholic Healthcare Jemalong Residential Village |
Catholic Healthcare Limited |
|
Coraki |
BaptistCare Mid Richmond Centre - Coraki |
BaptistCare NSW & ACT |
|
Gloucester |
Anglican Care Mirrabooka Place |
Anglican Care |
|
Yamba |
Uniting Caroona Yamba |
The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)* |
|
Gerringong |
Uniting Gerringong |
The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)* |
|
Eden |
Uniting Eden |
The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)* |
|
Taralga |
Uniting Taralga |
The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)* |
|
Crookwell |
Uniting Crookwell |
The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)* |
|
Berrigan |
Uniting Berrigan |
The Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW)* |
|
Walcha |
Presbyterian Aged Care - Apsley Riverview |
The Presbyterian Church (New South Wales) Property Trust |
|
Yoogali |
Scalabrini Village Griffith |
Scalabrini Village Ltd |
|
Muswellbrook |
Calvary Muswellbrook Retirement Community |
Calvary Retirement Communities Limited |
|
Scone |
Strathearn House |
HammondCare |
* Uniting NSW.ACT has stated it would not seek to prevent aged care residents from voluntary assisted dying
Quotes attributable to Dr Amanda Cohn MLC, Greens NSW Spokesperson for Health:
“This bill is extraordinarily out of touch with people's real experiences of aged care.”
“Residential aged care facilities are people’s homes. Individuals should be able to access their right to voluntary assisted dying in their own homes. The bill threatens the rights of individuals to access the health care they require in their own home because of the views held by management.”
“Older people and people with terminal illness have the same rights, no matter where they live.”
“Transferring people out of their homes to access voluntary assisted dying is cruel, unnecessary, potentially harmful, and impossible in many instances particularly in rural areas where residential aged care facilities are insufficient to meet community need.”
“Towns like Forbes, Muswellbrook and Coraki only have one aged care facility and because they’re run by a faith-based provider, this bill means residents will be forced out of their homes and towns to access their right to voluntary assisted dying.”
Dr Cohn’s full contribution in Parliament on the bill on 15 October can be found here.
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