Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) laws have been passed in Victoria (2017), Western Australia (2019), Tasmania (2021) and now in South Australia (June 2021). The Queensland Parliament is currently considering a VAD Bill and New South Wales will have a Bill tabled later in 2021.
After being the first country in the world to pass a VAD law, when the Northern Territory Government passed the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act in 1995, under the leadership of Chief Minister Marshall Perron, (vetoed by the Federal Government 9 months later), Australia went through two decades of advocacy to achieve the next VAD Act, in Victoria, in 2017. In mid 2021 every state in Australia has now passed, or will be debating, a law to give people a compassionate choice to end their suffering.
12m Australians now live in a state where voluntary assisted dying is legal.
VADSA partners with organisations and individuals in Australia and overseas who work to achieve legal voluntary assisted dying. See link below. Any questions? Contact VADSA
VADSA phone 0421 305 684 email [email protected] post PO Box 2151 Kent Town, SA 5071
Facebook pages provide stories and information which could be passed on to your local Member of Parliament.
Voluntary Assisted Dying South Australia is our facebook page. The page contains current information about developments around Australia and the world.
A Peaceful End facebook page is run by Angie Miller. Angie's father, Dusty Miller, established the iconic Birdsville Bakery. Angie became a campaigner for Voluntary Assisted Dying after the distressing experience of sitting with her father over an extended period as he died.
Accessible Voluntary Assisted Dying facebook page provides information on VAD, with a focus on equitable access to a medically assisted death for people isolated by distance or disability.
Advocacy Groups listed below represent different interest groups who advocate for VAD law reform.
- Doctors for Assisted Dying Choice
- South Australian Nurses Supporting Choices in Dying
- Christians Supporting Choice for Voluntary Assisted Dying
- Voluntary Assisted Dying Youth Advocates
- Lawyers for Death with Dignity
- Paramedics Supporting Choices in Dying
- Accessible Voluntary Assisted Dying
Go Gentle Australia was established by Andrew Denton to support VAD law reform. The Go Gentle Australia website provides excellent resources - such as documentaries, podcasts, books, articles - which can inform your discussions on VAD and counter the misinformation spread by opponents of VAD.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation supports voluntary assisted dying. Their position statement emphasises the need for enhanced palliative care services, but when the person's suffering is still unbearable, 'a competent adult shall have the right to choose to die at a time and in a manner acceptable to them and shall not be compelled to suffer beyond their wishes'.
DyingForChoice was established by Neil Francis, a Melbourne based advocate for VAD. Neil was Past President of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies and maintains an enormous special-purpose database of peer-reviewed professional journal papers on all aspects of assisted dying.
Oregon Department of Health Annual Reports provide detailed information on the operation of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. The first report was published in 1999.
World Federation of Right to Die Societies is based in The Netherlands. The WFRtDS site includes links to societies around the world working towards legalising assisted dying.
State and Territory Partners - each state and territory has an active group supporting VAD law reform
- Dying with Dignity NSW
- Dying with Dignity Victoria
- Dying with Dignity Tasmania
- Dying with Dignity Western Australia
- Dying with Dignity Qld
- Northern Territory Voluntary Euthanasia Society
- Dying with Dignity ACT
Advance Care Directives are a valuable tool to provide guidance to medical professionals and carers on your end of life wishes.
(VADSA is not affiliated with Exit International or Dr Philip Nitschke.)
