Latest Campaign update

In October this year, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025 passed through Victoria’s Legislative Assembly with 67 – 14 votes without amendment.

The reforms build on a five-year review of the original laws from 2017, and respond to feedback from patients, practitioners and advocacy groups including Dying with Dignity Victoria. Eligible Victorians now have easier access to compassionate and timely end-of-life choice.

Key changes under the 2025 Amendment Bill:

• Removal of the “gag clause” which now allows doctors and other registered health practitioners to raise voluntary assisted dying with eligible patients.
• Conscientious objectors must still provide patients with basic information so they can seek support elsewhere, even if the practitioner chooses not to participate.
• Extension of the eligibility prognosis from six months to twelve months for terminal illness, giving people more time to complete the process.
• Introduction of compassionate exemptions for long-term residents who lack formal citizenship or permanent residency but have strong ties to Victoria.
• Reduction of the waiting period between the first and final VAD request which streamlines the process and reduces unnecessary delays.
• Expansion of the pool of clinicians who can support VAD, including allowing nurse practitioners or registered nurses to administer VAD in certain circumstances.
• Simplified pathways for people with neurodegenerative conditions to ensure the system remains workable as their illness progresses.

The Humanist Society would like to thank the amazing work of Dying with Dignity, and everyone else involved for their commitment and contribution. We also continue to advocate for other Australian states like the Northern Territory who still do not have access to these laws.

The Five Recommendations

Recommendation 1: Increase the provision of sector guidance and build on approaches to continuous improvement.

Recommendation 2: Enhance community awareness of VAD and grief and bereavement supports.

Recommendation 3: Support the workforce to ensure VAD is accessible, viable and sustainable.

Recommendation 4: Consider enhancements to the statewide service models to meet anticipated future demand.

Recommendation 5: Advocate to the Commonwealth Government for greater federal support for VAD.

Specific Amendments

• Allow health practitioners to initiate discussions about VAD – permit health practitioners to start a discussion about VAD with their patients as a broader end of life discussion.

• Require health practitioners who conscientiously object to provide minimum information about VAD.

• Amend Australian citizenship and permanent residency requirements – add requirement that a person can be eligible for VAD if they have three years Australian residency.

• Amend Victorian residency requirement – add an exemption process from the current Victorian residency requirement to provide that a person can be eligible for VAD if they have a substantial connection to Victoria.

• Extend prognosis requirement – extend the prognosis timeframe to 12 months for all VAD applicants.

• Remove requirement for third assessment for individuals with a neurodegenerative condition that are given a prognosis of 6-12 months.

• Simplify permit process to improve applicant choice and prevent delays due to permit change – allow applicants seeking VAD greater choice in their administration method and simplify the process for changing administration type.

• Amend waiting period for final request to 5 days after first request.

• Add an exemption process to the current interpreter certification requirements – address inequity for individuals requiring communication supports, particularly those from small language communities where accredited interpreters can be difficult to source.

• Remove forms from the Act so that they can be amended as necessary.

• Prescribe additional reviews on operation & scope of VAD legislation (for example, reviews every 5 years). Provide the Victorian community with assurance that the safety, quality, compassion and timeliness of VAD will be subject to further legislated reviews.

• Prohibit medical practitioners from being family or beneficiary from death.