SACAT can review certain decisions made under the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021.

Types of decisions SACAT can review

SACAT can review decisions made by the Coordinating or Consulting Medical Practitioner that impact a person’s eligibility to access voluntary assisted dying, including whether the person:

  • is or is not ordinarily a resident in South Australia; or
  • was or was not ordinarily a resident in South Australia for at least 12 months at the time of making a first request; or
  • has or does not have decision making capacity in relation to voluntary assisted dying.

An application to SACAT for a review of a decision will result in the voluntary assisted dying process being suspended until the review is complete.

A review is taken to be withdrawn if the patient who is the subject of the decision dies.

Applying for a review

An application for review of a decision must be made to the SACAT within 28 days after the date of the reviewable decision. SACAT may extend this timeframe if special circumstances exist provided that the patient will not be unreasonably disadvantaged because of the extension.

Before applying to SACAT, you must:

  • Have a copy of the decision which you want to review – you should include this with your application.
  • Ensure you are ready to pay the required fee for making an application.

  1. Start an online application
  2. In keyword field in Step 2 type the words ‘voluntary assisted’ as shown below and then scroll down to select the correct application type.

  3. Attach a copy of the decision you are seeking to review. You can do this by either:
  • uploading a copy of the decision with your online application
  • emailing the decision to us at sacat@sacat.sa.gov.au
  • post the decision to us at GPO Box 2361 Adelaide SA 5001.

You will need to quote your tracking code or file number when sending any correspondence to SACAT.

There is a filing fee applicable for this type of application.

Payment can be made online by credit card at the time of completing the online form, or by using one of the other options outlined in the payment section of the application form.

Current fees and information about payment methods and fee waiver options

I need more help

If you have further questions call SACAT on 1800 723 767.

A staff member from SACAT can also help you complete your application over the phone.

< Back to the A-Z list of decisions we can review