The DWD NSW Summer 2017 Newsletter is a special edition focusing on the NSW and Victorian voluntary assisted dying (VAD) bills, which coincidentally were debated within just a few days of each other. The passage of the Victorian Bill and the narrow defeat of the NSW...
Today the Victorian Parliament has made history by becoming the first Australian state to approve the introduction of a voluntary assisted dying scheme. After more than 100 hours of debate across both houses of the Victorian Parliament and two demanding all-night sittings, Lower House MPs...
Jen Barnes is a Victorian nurse of 40 years, who has terminal brain cancer, and has just been told that the tumour has started to grow again. Jen and her husband Ken, like the vast majority of Australians, want a voluntary assisted dying law. Jen and...
"Today we saw history taking place with voluntary assisted dying laws passing the Victorian parliament, a first for any Australian state. Below is an extract of a letter to the Lamp magazine by NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association President Coral Levitt (pictured) from earlier this...
Debate on the Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill began in the Victorian Upper House on 2 November. After two days of emotionally-charged debate the bill passed the second reading by 22 votes to 18, and moved onto the committee stage. This stage began on 14 November and was eventually...
After nearly two weeks of strong campaigning by supporters and opponents of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill, following passage of the bill in the Victorian Lower House (by a vote of 47 to 37). debate began in the Victorian Upper House on 2 November. Two days of emotionally-charged...
Sue Jensen is 60 years old and has oesophageal cancer, which has spread to her lungs. With Voluntary Assisted Dying bills now in the Parliaments of Victoria and NSW, Sue Jensen spoke to ABC Lateline's Emily Stewart: "I'm putting my voice out there because there's three...
As the Victorian government prepares for debate on the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill to begin in their Legislative Council on 2 November, the numbers of supporting MPs is close to the number required. The government has been forced to consider amendments, with key Upper House MPs...
When Daniel Andrews was elected as Premier of Victoria in 2014 he was a devout Catholic, who was personally opposed to voluntary assisted dying, as was his Catholic deputy, James Merlino. A year and a half later, his beloved father, Bob Andrews died from cancer. On...
[caption id="attachment_10799" align="alignright" width="150"] Robin and Barbara Collins on their wedding day, 50 years before Robin's death.[/caption] On 27 February, 2014, Amanda Collins' father shot himself in the backyard of the family home, whilst her mother was in the kitchen. Robin Collins' body lay on a patch...