Our Summer 2020/21 Newsletter aims to bring everyone up-to-date with the latest developments from across Australia and around the world. It has been an eventful and exciting few months for the dying with dignity movement in Australia and New Zealand with a series of “firsts” giving...
Dying with Dignity has launched a petition to kick start a renewed campaign to achieve voluntary assisted dying (VAD) law reform in NSW. This comes on the back of news that independent Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, in response to the growing momentum for change, will...
On Sunday 13 December 2020, Alex Greenwich, Independent Member for Sydney, announced in a Sydney Morning Herald exclusive that he will draft legislation to create a framework for people in New South Wales to access voluntary assisted dying. Mr Greenwich said the issue of assisted...
On Friday 4 December 2020 Tasmanian lower house MPs voted 17 - 7 for the End of Life Choices (Voluntary Assisted Dying) Bill 2020 to proceed to the committee stage of the debate. Labor and the Greens voted unanimously in support of the bill, and...
A new Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill was tabled in both Chambers of the South Australian Parliament on Wednesday December 2, 2020. The Bill was tabled by Hon Kyam Maher in the Legislative Council and you can view his speech here. The same Bill was tabled by Hon Susan Close in...
Voluntary Assisted Dying - who has access? Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying (VAD) scheme has been operating successfully for over 12 months and WA’s law comes into effect in mid 2021. The Tasmanian VAD Bill is progressing through Parliament right now and could become law before Christmas....
On Tuesday 10 October 2020 Tasmania's Upper House passed laws to legalise voluntary assisted dying in a final vote that was unanimous. Independent MP Mike Gaffney's End-of-Life Choices (Voluntary Assisted Dying) Bill 2020 was amended during the upper house debate however those amendments led to the...
On Sunday 18 October 2020 Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, used her election campaign launch to announce that a re-elected Labor government would table voluntary assisted dying legislation in February 2021. It was a calculated announcement that elevated the issue of assisted dying law reform at a key...
Preliminary results released on 30 October 2020 showed 65.2% of New Zealand voters supported the End of Life Choice Act coming into force as a new law. The law will allow terminally ill people with less than six months to live the opportunity to choose...
The British Medical Association’s first ever survey of its members’ views on assisted dying has found that doctors are in support of assisted dying and want the BMA to drop its official policy of opposition to a change in the law. Nearly 29,000 members of...
Report from COTA (Council on the Ageing) NSW reveals lack of comprehensive planning for last stage of life A new report released by COTA NSW has revealed that many older people find there is still a taboo around discussing the last stage of life, and struggle...
Just over one year since its implementation, voluntary assisted dying laws are giving Victorians suffering with a terminal illness greater choice over the timing and manner of their death. Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos welcomed the third report of the independent Voluntary Assisted Dying Review...