On Tuesday 10 December 2019 the Western Australian Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2019 cleared its final parliamentary hurdle making Western Australian the second state after Victoria to legalise voluntary assisted dying for the terminally ill. It took five hours for the Legislative Assembly to work its way...
On Wednesday 23 October 2019 the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill passed one of its biggest hurdles after the Upper House voted 25 to 10 in favour of the Bill at the Second Reading. There were hugs and tears in the public gallery as supporters realised that the support...
A recent report by Dignity in Dying in the UK details the suffering endured by many despite excellent hospice care. The Inescapable Truth, shines a light on the experiences of a small but significant number of dying people. The research found that even if everyone in...
In 2018 opponents of voluntary assisted dying released a documentary made by Canadian filmmaker Kevin Dunn called Fatal Flaws. While it purports to be an independent, factual documentary about the dangers of voluntary assisted dying and voluntary euthanasia, according to Go Gentle Australia, and other supporters...
On Tuesday 24 September 2019 the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill easily passed Western Australia's lower house without amendments. The Bill will now head to the upper house of parliament where it is expected to face a much tougher passage. The bill passed 45 - 11 in...
On 5 September 2019 Australia's peak palliative care body, Palliative Care Australia updated its position on voluntary assisted dying. They are no longer opposed to VAD and have adopted a neutral position. Palliative Care Australia (PCA) Board Chair Dr Jane Fischer says the organisation has updated its position...
On Tuesday 3 September 2019 Members of Western Australian Parliament, from across the political spectrum, joined hundreds of supporters rallying outside Parliament House before the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2019 faced its first major hurdle. Premier Mark McGowan, Health Minister Roger Cook and dozens of other...
On Tuesday 6 August 2019, the same day that Belinda Teh completed her 'brave walk' from Melbourne to Perth, the McGowan Government released details of its much anticipated Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill. Speaking from the steps of Parliament House, the Premier Mark McGowan told hundreds of...
On Tuesday 6 August 2019 hundreds of supporters, including former cricketer Adam Gilchrist and high-profile assisted dying advocate, Andrew Denton, joined Belinda Teh for the final 1 km walk from Kings Park in Perth to Western Australia's Parliament House. There she was greeted by even...
Our Autumn 2019 Newsletter aims to bring everyone up-to-date with the latest developments from across Australia and around the world. The Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) law came into effect on 19 June 2019 after an 18 month implementation period and as we predicted the passage...
Voluntary assisted dying advocate and former President of Dying with Dignity Victoria, Dr Rodney Syme has been awarded an AM, a Member of the Order of Australia, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. In October last year Dying with Dignity NSW was one of a number of...
A number of Dying with Dignity NSW members and supporters have been asking which candidates in the upcoming federal election support voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws. Assisted dying is strictly speaking a state issue; however, we know that opposition to VAD can affect related bills...