NSW Parliament has voted to legalise voluntary assisted dying after a bill co-authored by Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper passed through the upper and lower houses on Thursday.
Opponents of the bill debated 92 amendments to the proposed legislation in a marathon upper house session lasting until midnight on Wednesday.
The bill finally passed through the upper house on Thursday morning and returned to the lower house, where members were allowed a conscience vote.
The bill, introduced by Mr Piper's fellow independent Alex Greenwich last year, limits access to voluntary assisted dying to adults with terminal illnesses who will die within six months, or 12 months in the case of a person with a neurodegenerative condition.
Letters to the editor: Piper praised for euthanasia stance
The patient must be judged to have the capacity to make the decision to go ahead without duress, and the application would be assessed by two doctors.
The legislation is unlikely to come into effect until late next year.
Mr Greenwich told Parliament that the bill's passing was an "honest" and "compassionate" acknowledgement that "not all people die well".
Mr Piper co-sponsored a voluntary assisted dying bill in 2013, but it was defeated narrowly in the upper house and not debated in the lower house. Another bill introduced by Nationals, Greens and Labor upper house members in 2017 also failed.
Mr Piper hailed the bill's passing as a victory after "a very long campaign over many years by many people".
"This bill is not about politicians but about people with a terminal illness who are dying particularly bad deaths," he said.
"This historic piece of legislation will finally deliver a choice to those people. This is about their journey. This is about their wish and their choice.
"This is about providing those people with an option in their final days and providing the opportunity to die with dignity on their own terms when their suffering is no longer bearable."
NSW is the last state in Australia to pass a bill legalising voluntary euthanasia, though Western Australia and Victoria are the only jurisdictions to have enacted the legislation.
Most other states will introduce their euthanasia laws in the next year.
"I know there are people who oppose this bill, predominantly on religious grounds, and I thank them, too, for the respectful debate we've had," Mr Piper said.
"What I can assure everyone is that this bill has robust safeguards against abuse and allows for the conscientious objection of doctors, nurses and even faith-based aged care organisations, although the latter cannot deny a resident access to VAD services from outside providers."
