Rachel spoke on the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025. Rachel acknowledges the evidence supporting individuals’ right to choose and dispelled the harmful myth that this legislation would result in terminally ill patients being “pushed” to end their lives.
Wednesday the 12th of November, 2025
Victorian Legislative Council
Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan):
I rise to speak on the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025. Like my colleague Mr Ettershank, I strongly support these amendments to improve access to voluntary assisted dying in Victoria. Ensuring that more people have the right to choose to end their life with compassion and dignity. We all die. We have no choice in the matter. For most of us, we do not know when that will be. But for those who face a terminal illness, they do. And for those people, this legislation is about compassion and choice, giving people with a terminal illness who are suffering the ability to choose how they end their life. They can spend their final moments surrounded by family in a setting where they are most comfortable to be at peace and feel like themselves.
The inquiry
Voluntary assisted dying also recognises that when people are suffering they will look for ways to end that suffering. The inquiry that led to the introduction of voluntary assisted dying in Victoria received substantial evidence about Victorians. Victorians who took their own lives in painful, lonely and unacceptable ways. Evidence from the coroner showed that one terminally ill Victorian was taking their life each week. By legislating voluntary assisted dying we were addressing the shame many people were experiencing with suffering from a terminal illness and wanting to end their life. At what is otherwise a deeply sad time, these changes help to empower those living with a terminal illness. Making that choice on their own terms to end their life. As one de-identified case study in the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board’s latest report put it:
She passed away with her cat on her lap. Looking across our backyard to the dam with me holding her. It doesn’t get better than that.
Everyone hopes to pass away surrounded by loved ones in a place that is dear to them. For those suffering with a terminal illness, these laws allow this to happen.
The amendments in 2025
The Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025 expands upon the original legislation in 2017. When Victoria was the first jurisdiction in the country to pass legislation of this kind.
These laws were brought in to provide safe and compassionate end-of-life care in Victoria. But at the time they were introduced we adopted a fairly cautious approach. Since then, voluntary assisted dying has become available in all Australian states and New Zealand. We now have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of other jurisdictions. Expand upon our legislation and harmonise our laws wherever possible. The modest amendments in this bill will help ensure voluntary assisted dying remains accessible to Victorians in an equitable way. It operates to provide safe and compassionate end-of-life care while retaining necessary safeguards.
Importantly, this bill will finally allow health practitioners to initiate discussions about voluntary assisted dying. Until now it could only be raised if a patient raised it. Limiting access to those who knew it was an option. Not all those who may be eligible and want to end their life on their terms. Like conscientious objections in other settings, this bill includes an amendment to ensure health practitioners who conscientiously object to VAD provide minimum information to patients. Ensuring that someone seeking care is not left uninformed at a critical time.
Other important amendments in this bill include expanding access by making changes to residency and prognosis requirements and shortening the minimum time between the first and final request to access voluntary assisted dying from nine days to five. In 2024–25 there were 837 requests for VAD, commonly with people experiencing neurodegenerative conditions or suffering with cancer. 171 applicants died before receiving a permit. It is common that applicants to the scheme die, deteriorate or lose decision-making capacity before being able to access it as people access it in later stages of their illness. This is why it is so important that voluntary assisted dying operates effectively and in a timely manner. There are other improvements to the legislation that go beyond what the government is planning to do and should be considered to ensure the scheme is operating as well as it could, which we will be supporting.
Family, friends, loved ones and chosen family
Voluntary assisted dying is not just about the person who is suffering, it is also about their family, their loved ones, their friends and their chosen family, who often care for them and bear witness to their pain. I would like to take the chance to speak about some reflections I had recently with a dear friend of mine who supported their best friend through their end-of-life journey. I wanted to speak to my friend as someone who was this person’s chosen family about what they observed of their best friend’s experience and why my dear friend is such a strong advocate for voluntary assisted dying now after seeing that access. For privacy reasons, I will refer to them as the pseudonym Jim.
Coming from a conservative background, Jim did not tell his family that he was going down this path. He was independent and private, so he did his research, he consulted widely, before bringing his chosen family into that conversation. My friend relayed that when it was time to talk through Jim’s thought process on VAD, the team at Peter Mac were amazing – really good at providing group support and therapy and available to answer questions for friends and family. Jim knew his diagnosis and what was to come. Knowing that VAD was available provided him with some relief. He was only in his early 40s. He wanted to go with dignity and have control over his decision.
My friend also said that there was time to talk about if this was what he really wanted to do. He wanted to do things his way and on his own terms. He had time to organise things for himself, and he had time to make it a special occasion. Reflecting on the experience of access and the support of the medical staff, my friend said that they never pushed it. You had VAD as an option, but you also had the option not to use it. The advice was matter-of-fact and practical. Jim had time to say goodbye to his nearest and dearest and had time to process his decision, and then he fell asleep. Instead of fighting and battling with a terminal illness and dying slowly, he still had the energy to know what he was doing. The relief it gives people in a time of feeling out of control gives people hope for a painless and chosen end.
Compassion is at the heart of these laws
I just want to say a big thank you to my dear friend for sharing her experience with me and allowing me to share that story. Legalise Cannabis Victoria is a party of compassion, and compassion is at the heart of these laws, which is why we will be supporting them. We would also like to see this government consider other compassionate schemes for end-of-life care, like the New South Wales compassionate access scheme for medicinal cannabis. This scheme ensures people with a terminal illness and their carers will not be criminalised for growing their own medicine. For many people who cannot afford the significant costs of medicinal cannabis, this helps protect them at the most vulnerable point in their life. A similar scheme in Victoria would further cement this government’s compassionate and dignified approach to end-of-life care.
Turning back now to the bill, these are important reforms that strengthen equitable access to voluntary assisted dying in Victoria. We will support them and any amendments that address unnecessary barriers to access.
Related:
External:
Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025 | legislation.vic.gov.au
