Assisted-dying bill passes the Victorian parliament

Australia's only assisted-dying scheme will be legal in Victoria from mid-2019 after state parliament passed controversial legislation following more than 100 hours of debate.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is joined by Minister for Health Jill Hennessy (right), and State Attorney-General Martin Pakula (left) outside Parliament House

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is joined by Minister for Health Jill Hennessy (right), and State Attorney-General Martin Pakula (left) outside Parliament Hous Source: AAP

The government-led bill passed the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, after earlier surviving a second scuttling attempt.

The scheme will be accessible only to terminally ill Victorian adults with less than six months to live.

It had gone to the lower house for ratification after the Legislative Council successfully passed the bill, with amendments, 22-18 last week.

But what was forecast as a simple procedure got bogged down in further debate when opponent and Liberal MP Robert Clark proposed a motion to "defer debate indefinitely" late on Tuesday.

File image of Liberal MP Robert Clark (AAP)
File image of Liberal MP Robert Clark (AAP) Source: AAP

His move was voted down on Wednesday morning and the amendments were agreed to with little fanfare.

The bill requires royal assent and an implementation group will be formed to set up the scheme, including deciding on the lethal medication.

People applying to use the scheme must be determined by multiple doctors to be suffering intolerable pain and be of sound mind.

Except in cases when patients are too incapacitated, the scheme stipulates that the lethal medication be self-administered.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the reform was one all Victorians could be proud of.

"For too long, we have denied, to too many, the compassion, the control, the power that should be theirs, should be theirs in those final moments of their life," he told reporters following the bill's passage.

"Any reading of those terribly violent, tragic coronial inquests brings you to the conclusion that we can do more and better, and that we must, and that's exactly what the Parliament has done."

"Victoria [is] doing what it does best - leading our nation."


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world