On 24 May 2018, the Public Health Amendment (Safe Access to Reproductive Health Clinics) Bill 2018 (“Bill”) passed the NSW Legislative Council without amendments. The Bill proposes to make amendments to the Public Health Act 2010 (NSW) by introducing an 150-metre exclusion zone around reproductive health clinics to stop patients and staff members being harassed or intimidated by anti-abortion protestors. The change would bring NSW in line with ACT, Victoria and Tasmania, who already have similar legislation.
In a media statement, the president of the Australian Medical Association New South Wales (“AMA (NSW)”), Dr Kean-Seng Lim, stated that the AMA (NSW) "supports this because people should be able to have unobstructed access to healthcare facilities and be able to approach them without harassment.”
The Bill will now go to the Legislative Assembly for debate. Read the media statement here.