Euthanasia Bill: Voluntary Assisted Dying scheme passes Victorian Parliament

VICTORIA has become the first state in Australia to offer an assisted dying scheme for the terminally ill after a historic but controversial Euthanasia Bill successfully passed state parliament.

THE voluntary assisted dying Bill has finally passed parliament and is set to become law.

The Bill, the subject of nearly 100 hours’ debate over six weeks, including in three marathon all-night sessions, passed the Legislative Assembly a second time on Wednesday. It will become law once it receives the formal royal assent from the Governor.

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State Attorney-General Martin Pakula, Minister for Health Jill Hennessy and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews outside Parliament House. Picture: AAP Image/Joe Castro

But patients will not be able to access doctor-assisted dying for 18 months.

Premier Daniel Andrews said parliament had made history by making Victoria the first state in Australia to pass voluntary assisted dying laws.

“This is a day of reform, a day of compassion, and a day of giving control to those who are terminally ill,” he said.

“I’m proud we have put compassion right at the centre of our parliamentary and political process.”

Minister for Health Jill Hennessy at a press conference today in Melbourne. Picture: AAP Image/Joe Castro

Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the hotly contested Bill had been debated longer than most pieces of legislation.

“I hope the implementation of this Bill, really does start to give people some hope and some compassion that a good death will in fact be possible for people who are enduring difficult end of lives.”

Leader of Opposition Business Robert Clark had moved that the Bill should be deferred indefinitely. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Ms Hennessy said Victoria could develop its own drug to use for assisted dying or seek approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration to use existing drugs. Work on deciding the best drug, or cocktail of drugs, would begin now.

Amendments to the Bill agreed to in the Legislative Council included greater investment in palliative care and improved access to psychiatric services, and restricting access to the scheme to those who have been given less than six months to live, rather than the original 12 months.

Those amendments were ratified in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.