Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Act commenced on 19 June 2019.
The Act sets out strict eligibility criteria and procedures enabling a person in the late stages of a terminal illness to ask for and access voluntary assisted dying medication.
Access is only possible if the dying person can meet the following criteria:
- They are in the late stages of an advanced disease and are expected to die in less than 6 months (or 12 months if they have a neurodegenerative disease such as motor neurone disease).
- They are experiencing unacceptable suffering.
- They can make and communicate an informed decision about voluntary assisted dying.
- They are making a fully informed, continuous and voluntary decision about voluntary assisted dying.
- They are 18 years old or over.
- They are an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
- They have lived in Victoria for the last 12 months.
The Act sets up protections to ensure that a person’s decision to ask for and access the voluntary assisted dying medication is fully informed, continuous and voluntary and that only the person seeking voluntary assisted dying can ask for access to the voluntary assisted dying medication. An Attorney or Medical Treatment Decision Maker cannot ask for voluntary assisted dying on a dying person’s behalf. A person cannot request voluntary assisted dying in an Advance Care Directive.
Further information is available on the Victorian Government’s “Health Vic” website – www2.health.vic.gov.au.
If this news update raises any issues for you, you can discuss it with your GP or access the following services:
- Lifeline (Telephone 13 11 14)
- Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement (Telephone 1800 642 066).