{"id":"voluntary-assisted-dying-regulations-2022","name":"Voluntary Assisted Dying Regulations 2022","slug":"voluntary-assisted-dying-regulations-2022","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":238156,"registerId":"sa-voluntary-assisted-dying-regulations-2022-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-06","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Voluntary Assisted Dying Regulations 2022","content":"South Australia\nVoluntary Assisted Dying Regulations 2022\nunder the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n2\tCommencement\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tPrescribed form—consulting assessment report form\n5\tPrescribed form—contact person appointment form\n6\tPrescribed form—coordinating medical practitioner administration form\n7\tPrescribed form—final review form\n8\tPrescribed form—first assessment report form\n9\tPrescribed form—voluntary assisted dying substance dispensing form\n10\tPrescribed form—voluntary assisted dying substance disposal form\n11\tPrescribed form—written declaration\n12\tInterpreters\n13\tExemptions—Interpreters\n14\tPrescribed form—application for self administration permit\n15\tPrescribed form—application for practitioner administration permit\n16\tPrescribed period for determination of application \n17\tPrescribed form—voluntary assisted dying permit\n18\tPrescribed secure storage specifications for voluntary assisted dying substance\n19\tPrescribed form—labeling requirements for voluntary assisted dying substance\n20\tApplicants for review of decisions by Tribunal\nSchedule 1—Repeal of Voluntary Assisted Dying Regulations 2021\nLegislative history\n\n1—Short title\nThese regulations may be cited as the Voluntary Assisted Dying Regulations 2022.\n2—Commencement\nThese regulations come into operation on the day on which section 130 of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 comes into operation.\n3—Interpretation\nIn these regulations, unless the contrary intention appears—\nAct means the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021.\n4—Prescribed form—consulting assessment report form\nFor the purposes of the definition of consulting assessment report form in section 3 of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n5—Prescribed form—contact person appointment form\nFor the purposes of the definition of contact person appointment form in section 3 of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n6—Prescribed form—coordinating medical practitioner administration form\nFor the purposes of the definition of coordinating medical practitioner administration form in section 3 of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n7—Prescribed form—final review form\nFor the purposes of the definition of final review form in section 3 of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n8—Prescribed form—first assessment report form\nFor the purposes of the definition of first assessment report form in section 3 of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n9—Prescribed form—voluntary assisted dying substance dispensing form\nFor the purposes of the definition of voluntary assisted dying substance dispensing form in section 3 of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n10—Prescribed form—voluntary assisted dying substance disposal form\nFor the purposes of the definition of voluntary assisted dying substance disposal form in section 3 of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n11—Prescribed form—written declaration\nFor the purposes of the definition of written declaration in section 3 of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n12—Interpreters\nFor the purposes of section 7(a) of the Act, the following bodies are prescribed:\n\t(a)\tthe National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Limited;\n\t(b)\tany other body from time to time specified by the Minister by notice in the Gazette.\n13—Exemptions—Interpreters\n\t(1)\tPursuant to section 130(2)(a) of the Act, the Chief Executive may, by notice in writing and on an application made in a manner and form determined by the Chief Executive, grant an exemption to a person from the operation of section 7(a) of the Act.\n\t(2)\tAn exemption under subregulation (1) may be conditional or unconditional.\n\t(3)\tPursuant to section 130(2)(a) of the Act, a speech pathologist who assists a person in relation to requesting access to or accessing voluntary assisted dying is exempt from the operation of section 7(b)(iv) of the Act.\n14—Prescribed form—application for self administration permit\nFor the purposes of section 65(2)(a) of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n15—Prescribed form—application for practitioner administration permit\nFor the purposes of section 66(2)(a) of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n16—Prescribed period for determination of application \nFor the purposes of section 67(1) of the Act, the prescribed period is 3 business days.\n17—Prescribed form—voluntary assisted dying permit\nFor the purposes of section 67(5) of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n18—Prescribed secure storage specifications for voluntary assisted dying substance\nFor the purposes of sections 75(b), 76(c) and 78 of the Act, the prescribed specifications are as follows:\n\t(a)\tthe locked box must be constructed of steel;\n\t(b)\tthe locked box must not be easily penetrable;\n\t(c)\tthe lock on the locked box must be of sturdy construction.\n19—Prescribed form—labeling requirements for voluntary assisted dying substance\nFor the purposes of section 76(2) of the Act, the prescribed form is the form determined by the Minister and published in the Gazette from time to time.\n20—Applicants for review of decisions by Tribunal\nFor the purposes of section 85(2)(b) of the Act, the following persons and classes of person are prescribed:\n\t(a)\ta family member of the person to whom the decision relates;\n\t(b)\tany other person who the Tribunal is satisfied has a sufficient interest in the matter.\nSchedule 1—Repeal of Voluntary Assisted Dying Regulations 2021\nThe Voluntary Assisted Dying Regulations 2021 are repealed.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal regulations\nYear\nNo\nReference\nCommencement\n2022\n87\nGazette 29.9.2022 p6270 \n29.9.2022: r 2\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations remain tightly scoped to administrative machinery — forms, specifications, and procedural details necessary to operationalise the parent Act. There is no mission creep beyond the original purpose of implementing the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 (SA)."},"complexity_factors":["Only 1 defined term ('Act') in the interpretation section","No nested conditional logic or exceptions to exceptions","Minimal cross-referencing — most provisions simply point to specific sections of the parent Act","Highly repetitive structure: 10 provisions follow identical pattern of 'prescribed form is form determined by Minister'","Substantive content limited to: interpreter accreditation, exemption powers, 3-day deadline, steel box specifications, and appeal standing","Total length: 20 regulations plus short repeal schedule"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set out the practical details for how voluntary assisted dying works in South Australia. They specify the paperwork, security requirements, and administrative steps that doctors, patients, and others must follow under the main Voluntary Assisted Dying Act.\n\n**Key things this legislation does:**\n\n- **Forms**: Prescribes the official forms needed throughout the voluntary assisted dying process — including assessment reports, permit applications, declarations, and forms for dispensing and disposing of the lethal medication. The actual forms are determined by the Minister and published in the Government Gazette (the official public record of government notices).\n\n- **Interpreters**: Specifies that interpreters must be accredited by NAATI (the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters) or another body approved by the Minister. The Chief Executive can grant exemptions from this requirement, and speech pathologists are automatically exempt from certain interpreter rules when helping patients communicate.\n\n- **Timing**: Sets a 3 business day deadline for the Chief Executive to decide on permit applications.\n\n- **Security**: Requires the lethal medication to be stored in a sturdy steel locked box that cannot be easily broken into.\n\n- **Who can appeal**: Allows family members and others with a \"sufficient interest\" to apply to the Tribunal to review decisions about voluntary assisted dying access.\n\n- **Cleanup**: Repeals the previous 2021 regulations.\n\n**Who it affects**: Terminally ill South Australians seeking voluntary assisted dying, their families, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, interpreters, and the government officials who administer the scheme.\n\n**Why it matters**: This is the operational rulebook that makes the broader Voluntary Assisted Dying Act actually function on the ground. Without these regulations, there would be no approved forms, no security standards for the medication, and no clarity on who can interpret or appeal decisions."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Unable to assess whether scope changed from original intent — the legislative text was inaccessible due to a broken URL resulting from a website restructure. No comparison between original and current versions could be made."},"complexity_factors":["No actual legislative text was retrievable — score reflects the known general complexity of VAD regulations rather than specific provisions","VAD regulations typically involve multi-step procedural requirements and eligibility criteria that require careful navigation","Interaction between regulations and the parent Act (Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 (SA)) adds a layer of complexity","Medical and legal terminology is typically present in VAD instruments","Score is conservatively low given the absence of actual content to analyse"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set out the procedural rules that give effect to South Australia’s Voluntary Assisted Dying scheme — covering how requests are made, assessed, documented, timed and reported. They affect people with serious or incurable conditions, their families, treating practitioners and health services by prescribing the safeguards and record‑keeping needed to allow lawful, safe access to voluntary assisted dying. Check legislation.sa.gov.au for the current text."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Schedule 1 expressly repeals the Voluntary Assisted Dying Regulations 2021, so these regulations replace the prior subordinate instrument. The current regulations continue to prescribe forms, interpreter bodies and exemptions, storage and labeling requirements, a 3-business-day permit decision period, and who may apply for Tribunal review (see regs 4–20 and Schedule 1)."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive delegation to the Minister to determine multiple prescribed forms published in the Gazette (regs 4–11, 14–15, 17, 19) increases rule-change flexibility without Parliament.","Chief Executive discretion to grant interpreter exemptions on application, conditional or unconditional (reg 13(1)–(2)), creates administrative decision-making points.","Cross-references to multiple sections of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act require reading the parent Act to understand legal effects (see regs generally referencing the Act).","Vague statutory terms left to administrative decision-making—eg, who ‘has a sufficient interest’ for Tribunal review (reg 20(b))—may produce case-by-case determinations.","Operational technical prescription is narrow but specific (steel, not easily penetrable box, sturdy lock) which creates concrete compliance steps for practitioners or facilities (reg 18).","Prescribed short time frame for permit determination (3 business days) imposes operational timing pressure on decision-makers and applicants (reg 16).","Minister may add interpreter bodies by Gazette notice (reg 12(b)), allowing changes without amending regulations.","Schedule 1 repeals prior regulations, so users must track the current instrument rather than rely on the 2021 rules."],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set the administrative rules for voluntary assisted dying. They prescribe minister-made forms, accredited interpreters (with Chief Executive exemptions), a 3-business-day permit decision period, steel locked-box storage and labeling rules for substances, and who may seek Tribunal review; they also repeal the 2021 regulations. Patients, families and medical practitioners must follow these form, storage and timing obligations, and the Minister and Chief Executive have delegated discretion over forms and exemptions (regs 4–19)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/voluntary-assisted-dying-regulations-2022","history":"/api/acts/voluntary-assisted-dying-regulations-2022/history","analysis":"/api/acts/voluntary-assisted-dying-regulations-2022/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/voluntary-assisted-dying-regulations-2022/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/voluntary-assisted-dying-regulations-2022/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/voluntary-assisted-dying-regulations-2022/documents"}}