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Speaker 1: The Northern Territory government earlier this week announced the members

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Speaker 1: of an advisory panel who are going to be charged

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Speaker 1: with conducting community consultation to develop a framework for voluntary

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Speaker 1: assisted dying. It comprises of seven members, with two co

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Speaker 1: chairs being the Honorable Vicky O'Halleran AO CVO and Duncan

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Speaker 1: McConnell SC, who will commence town hall meetings across the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory in October. Now the remainder of the panel

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Speaker 1: as well was announced and one of those panel members

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Speaker 1: is indeed Sue Shearer, who you'll know as a CEO

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Speaker 1: for the Council of the Aging here in the Northern Territory. CODA,

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Sue.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Codie. How are you?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, very well, thank you so much for your time

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Speaker 1: this morning. Now, Sue, you have been announced as being

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Speaker 1: one of the members of this advisory panel into well

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Speaker 1: to develop the framework for voluntary assisted dying. What's going

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Speaker 1: to be the focus of the panel, Sue.

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Speaker 2: I think the focus will be obviously having the consultations

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Speaker 2: and making sure the community has their say in how

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Speaker 2: the framework and then obviously the legislation how that will

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Speaker 2: be formed. In safety guards in different areas that they

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Speaker 2: want this, you know, the voluntary system dying to happen.

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Speaker 1: Now, this is something you and I have spoken about before.

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Speaker 1: It's something that Kosa has certainly spoken about before. How

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Speaker 1: significant a step is this in your opinion?

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Speaker 2: Oh, it's a major step, Katie, as you know, you

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Speaker 2: know it's been over twenty five years. In ninety ninety

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Speaker 2: five we were the first to do it and now

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Speaker 2: we will be the last to do it. But also

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Speaker 2: in ninety ninety five when it went through the Northern

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Speaker 2: churchar Parliament, it really only was passed by one vote,

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Speaker 2: but I know the Northern Churchy government has the intent

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Speaker 2: to do this obviously, which is you know, a fantastic result.

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Speaker 2: But it's also, as we know, a very emotive subject

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Speaker 2: for a lot of people. But again it's just all

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Speaker 2: about choice. You mightn't agree with it and that's that's fine,

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Speaker 2: but please don't take away the choice from other people.

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Speaker 2: But again, the community will be able to have their

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Speaker 2: say in how we formulate the framework and then obviously

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Speaker 2: the legislation will be will be formed, so it'll be

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Speaker 2: it's an interesting time. And obviously in that legislation they'll

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Speaker 2: be safeguards and things like that, because I know a

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Speaker 2: few older senior territorians have said to me, you know,

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Speaker 2: they just want to get rid of us, and I

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Speaker 2: said no, no, no no. So hopefully by doing this

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Speaker 2: also we'll be able to stop a lot of that

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Speaker 2: misinformation and skullduggery and hopefully people won't be too frightened

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Speaker 2: as well.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with you. I think that it is

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Speaker 1: really important that that consultation happens and that people are

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Speaker 1: aware of of you know, exactly what it means and

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Speaker 1: how it's going to work. So how is that community

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Speaker 1: consultation sort of going to happen?

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Speaker 2: I'm, as you're probably aware, I'm actually in Ireland at

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Speaker 2: the moment. When I get back, we might get back

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Speaker 2: to the Northern Churchy. Obviously the two co chairs, really

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Speaker 2: wonderful people and very clever people will start to organize

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Speaker 2: the consultations and the dates and obviously they'll be highly

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Speaker 2: publicized obviously on your show and other place as well.

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Speaker 2: So that's the sort of thing that when that will happen,

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Speaker 2: as you said, starting in October, so there'll be plenty

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Speaker 2: of time for people and all around the Northern Churchy

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Speaker 2: as well. So we don't want to miss anybody or

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Speaker 2: anybody to feel left out, but that's really up to

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Speaker 2: the two co chairs.

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Speaker 1: Now, So tell us is a panel going to be

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Speaker 1: looking at what's happened in other jurisdictions as well? Because

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Speaker 1: you know, while we were first first, you know, I

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Speaker 1: guess many many years ago, we've now sort of ended

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Speaker 1: up one of the last to be going through this process.

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Speaker 1: So will we be looking at what is happening in

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Speaker 1: other states?

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Speaker 2: Most definitely, I think Katie, we're in one way, in

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Speaker 2: the unique position we can really go through and cut

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Speaker 2: and paste and look at all the other states and

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Speaker 2: how they've done it. So in that aspect, I don't

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Speaker 2: know whether the word easier is that you know, it

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Speaker 2: comes to mind, but we are, as I said, a

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Speaker 2: unique position that we can go through all the other

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Speaker 2: legislation and check that and make one that definitely suits

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Speaker 2: the Northern Tertiary.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and as I understand it, there's also going to

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Speaker 1: be an online survey. People will be able to have

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Speaker 1: written submissions, and there's going to be plenty of meetings

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Speaker 1: with community groups and stakeholders. It does sound like the

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Speaker 1: panel and the government want to make sure that everybody

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Speaker 1: is consulted on this.

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Speaker 2: Exactly. It's a very important step and as we know,

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Speaker 2: very important legislation and even though code is on it

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Speaker 2: when we did our survey and lobby it as well,

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Speaker 2: there lots of younger people who when they when the

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Speaker 2: time comes or if they need to make that sort

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Speaker 2: of decision, they would like the choice as well. So,

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Speaker 2: as you said, it's really important that everybody throughout the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory has a say, and I know we've written submissions.

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Speaker 2: In ninety ninety five, the Vatican wrote a submission, so

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Speaker 2: they'll be we imagine also people from probably all around

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Speaker 2: the world as well will make a submission. Although it

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Speaker 2: is not I don't particularly like the word commonplace, but

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Speaker 2: you know, the whole of Australia except US, has this

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Speaker 2: particular legislation in place and has the choice, so I

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Speaker 2: don't think it will cause obviously as much controversy as

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Speaker 2: it did in nine in ninety five.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with you, and so on a you know,

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Speaker 1: on a real personal note, I know that this is

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Speaker 1: something that you know that you're very passionate about. You

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Speaker 1: must be pleased to be on this panel and and

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Speaker 1: to be able to, you know, to to have a part.

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Speaker 2: I think it's an honor. Actually, it's an honor, and really,

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Speaker 2: as you said, really quite please, not quite please, very

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Speaker 2: pleased to be chosen. It's an honor to represent and

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Speaker 2: go around and talk for Territorians about this one of

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Speaker 2: the major issues that affects people. And to give Territorians

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Speaker 2: a choice and give us back the right to choose.

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Speaker 2: I think that's really important. Like the legislation that was

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Speaker 2: passed to get to come to this point, and it's

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Speaker 2: taken a long time, and you know, I was there

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Speaker 2: obviously originally Anne in ninety five showing my age. That's okay,

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Speaker 2: it is. It's really important and I'm delighted to be

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Speaker 2: part of this life changing legislation.

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Speaker 1: Well, sou Shier, we always appreciate your time, particularly when

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Speaker 1: it's is it three o'clock in the morning or something

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Speaker 1: there in Ireland? What's the time?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's two o'clock in the morning in Ireland, to

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Speaker 2: be sure or to be sure, so yeah, well sir,

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Speaker 2: you're always a pleasure to talk.

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Speaker 1: We really appreciate it. Thank you very much for having

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Speaker 1: a chat to us this morning, and we'll talk to

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Speaker 1: you very soon.

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Speaker 2: Okay, Thanks, thank you. Have a lovely day you two