Content note: This article contains discussion of end-of-life experiences that some readers may find distressing.
Yesterday, I found myself in the beautiful South Library of the Victorian Parliament, representing Preparing the Way alongside advocates, doctors, and politicians, all united around one cause: improving Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying laws for the people who need them.
It was an important day: the launch of Dying with Dignity Victoria’s “Voices for VAD Reform” campaign, calling for specific reforms to our state’s Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) legislation. Dying with Dignity Victoria played a pivotal role in securing Victoria’s original end-of-life choice legislation, and now they’re leading the charge to improve it based on five years of lived experience. But as I met with other end-of-life doulas, Dying with Dignity’s Young Ambassadors, grief and bereavement experts, and saw the support from some Christians and MPs, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were essentially preaching to the choir.
Don’t get me wrong. Having politicians on board matters enormously. However, real change occurs when communities understand the issues and speak out. And right now, I’m not sure enough Victorians really understand what voluntary assisted dying is, how it works, or why the current legislation needs tweaking.
What is voluntary assisted dying?
Let me start with the basics. Voluntary assisted dying gives eligible adults who are facing an inevitable, imminent death from an incurable condition the option to request medical assistance to end their life when their suffering becomes unbearable.
This isn’t euthanasia as some people imagine it. No one is making decisions for vulnerable people or pressuring anyone into anything. It’s a carefully regulated process with multiple safeguards, assessments, and waiting periods in place. It’s been in effect in Victoria since 2019, and since then, 1,282 Victorians have accessed these services.
The keyword here is “eligible.” The current laws are quite restrictive about who can access VAD, and that’s where the problems start to emerge.
The human stories behind the statistics
At yesterday’s launch, we heard from three people who had navigated the VAD process with loved ones. Their stories were powerful reminders that behind every policy discussion are real families facing unimaginable circumstances.
Amanda Mundy shared her father’s journey with pancreatic cancer. Most people take the medication themselves, but Mundy’s father lost his ability to swallow. When that happens, the patient must return the medication, and the coordinating doctor can apply for a separate permit allowing them to administer the medication instead. This not only lengthens the process, but many doctors are uncomfortable administering the medication. In the end, Mundy’s father regained his ability to swallow and was able to self-administer, putting an end to a long and painful ordeal.
Robin White spoke about her 33-year-old daughter’s experience with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. White’s daughter learned about VAD through a patient she shared a hospital room with. This highlights another barrier to VAD: doctors are not permitted to raise it with patients. Living in country Victoria presented additional challenges. They had to wait five days for the medication to be delivered.
Denise Stevens’s partner, the stained glass artist Glenn Mack, was not able to access VAD at all. Victorian residents can request assisted dying if they have an advanced disease that is likely to cause their death within six months (or within 12 months for neurodegenerative diseases). But Mack’s specialist doctors couldn’t definitively say which of his medical conditions would kill him within six months. So, Mack voluntarily stopped eating and drinking. It was distressing for his family to watch Mack die over eight days from starvation and dehydration.
“It was a very sad way to end what had been a very productive life,” Stevens told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We wouldn’t let a dog go through what Glenn endured. It’s an awful way to go.”
What needs to change in the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act?
These weren’t abstract policy problems. They were real barriers that made an already difficult process harder for families who were trying to honour their loved one’s wishes for a peaceful death.
Following a five-year review of how the VAD laws have worked in practice, the Victorian government announced in February that it would accept key recommendations and make additional legislative changes. Dying with Dignity Victoria’s reform campaign builds on these government commitments, advocating for specific improvements that would address barriers families have encountered. Here are the main reforms being proposed:
Letting doctors start the conversation: Currently, patients must bring up VAD themselves. This puts enormous pressure on people who may not be aware of their options or worry about their doctor’s response. The reform would allow health practitioners to raise VAD as part of broader end-of-life discussions.
Better information from objecting doctors: If a patient asks about VAD but their doctor has moral objections to it, the doctor would be required to provide basic information about the option, even if they won’t participate in the process themselves.
Extending time limits: Right now, people need a prognosis of six months or less (12 months for neurodegenerative conditions). The reform proposes 12 months for everyone, reducing the pressure to make rushed decisions while health is rapidly declining.
Relaxing residency rules: The current laws require Victorian residency for 12 months, plus Australian citizenship or permanent residency. The proposed changes would allow people with just three years of Australian residency and create exemptions for those with substantial Victorian connections, such as those who’ve moved to be closer to family or specialist care.
Reducing assessments for some conditions: People with neurodegenerative diseases, such as motor neurone disease, currently require three separate assessments. The reform proposes reducing this to two, recognising that these diagnoses are already well-established.
Shorter waiting periods: The time between making a final request and accessing VAD would be reduced from 10 days to 5 days.
More flexibility in administration: The process for choosing or changing how VAD is administered would be simplified, providing individuals with more choice and preventing delays if their condition changes rapidly.
Language accessibility: New exemption processes would help people from smaller language communities who currently face barriers around interpreter requirements.
Better safeguards: Additional protections would prevent medical practitioners who are family members or beneficiaries from participating in the VAD process.
Regular reviews: The law would require regular reviews (every five years) to ensure the law continues to work as intended.
Why community engagement matters
I really enjoyed attending the event. It was fantastic to meet more end-of-life doulas and other people working in the death space who are committed to giving people more choice and access to services. And it was very encouraging to see so many supportive politicians. But the people in that room were already convinced, and thankfully, so are most Victorians. Public support for voluntary assisted dying is strong. The real barriers to reform tend to be institutional rather than community-based.
It is important to have political support, but the work that drives change happens in our communities. It happens when people understand these issues well enough to contact their local MPs. It happens when families feel comfortable discussing end-of-life choices. It happens when we normalise conversations about death and dying instead of treating them as taboo.
Politicians respond to pressure from their constituents. They need to hear from regular Victorians who support these reforms, not just from advocates and medical professionals who are already invested in the issue.
What voluntary assisted dying reform means for all of us
You might be thinking: “This doesn’t affect me; I’m healthy, I’m young, I don’t need to worry about this now.” However, end-of-life care ultimately affects us all. And more immediately, it affects our parents, partners, friends, and community members who are facing these decisions right now.
Good end-of-life care—including access to VAD when appropriate—isn’t just about individual choice. It’s about building a healthcare system that truly centres human dignity and reduces unnecessary suffering. It’s about ensuring that when our time comes, or when our loved ones face these decisions, the system is there to support them rather than create additional barriers.
The conversations we need to have
I left Parliament House more convinced than ever that we need broader community conversations about death, dying, and end-of-life care. We need people to understand not just what VAD is, but why accessible, compassionate end-of-life options matter for all of us.
These reforms aren’t sweeping changes; they’re practical improvements based on five years of experience with the current system. They’re about removing unnecessary obstacles while maintaining essential safeguards.
However, they’ll only happen if communities like ours speak up and demonstrate to our politicians that we care about this issue. This doesn’t necessarily mean becoming an activist; it could be as simple as familiarising yourself with the legislation and what’s being proposed and having conversations with family and friends about end-of-life choices. Or, if you feel moved to do so, contact your local MP to express your support for these common-sense reforms.
Because ultimately, this isn’t about politics; it’s about ensuring that when we or our loved ones face the end of life, we have access to the most compassionate care possible. The community support is there, but our representatives need to hear it.