What is voluntary assisted dying?

Voluntary assisted dying (VAD) is when someone chooses medical assistance to end their life.

VAD is legal in Victoria, but there are strict legal and medical requirements that must be met before it can occur.

VAD is voluntary. You can only choose VAD if you are an adult who is able to make decisions and if you choose VAD on your own. No one can force you.

VAD is not the same as suicide. People who use VAD are already dying, and simply want to end their suffering by controlling how and when their life ends.

VAD in Victoria

In Victoria the VAD process is governed by the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act (2017).

This means that there are several things that must happen before permission is granted.

There are a lot of safeguards built into the VAD process. These ensure that only the person with the terminal illness can make decisions.

This means no one can ever be pressured into ending their life. However, be aware that in some cases, requirements can be difficult to fulfill. The process can be very tiring, and permission is not guaranteed.

Who can access VAD?

Voluntary assisted dying is only for people who have an incurable, advanced and progressive medical condition, causing intolerable suffering.

Each person must be assessed by 2 doctors, and they must agree that death is likely within 6 months for most conditions, or, for neurodegenerative illnesses, within 12.

VAD is only available to people over the age of 18 and who have lived in Victoria for at least 12 months. Decision-making capacity is important – so VAD is not available to people with advanced dementia, for instance. However, mental illness or intellectual disability do not exclude people from access, if all other criteria are met.

Understanding the VAD process

There are a lot of safeguards built into the VAD process. These ensure no one can be forced to do it. These same safeguards, however, can make getting permission very difficult – and sometimes impossible.

As well as being diagnosed by 2 doctors as likely to die within 6 months (or 12 with some conditions), VAD applicants must:

• Ask for VAD themselves. They cannot ask a friend, relative or carer to ask for them. Doctors and other medical people are not allowed to raise the subject.

• Meet the 2 doctors in person. Assessment using a phone or video services are not permitted.

• Prove residency status. Applicants must be able to prove that they are either Australian citizens or permanent residents. This can mean finding potentially lost paperwork, such as birth certificates or passports.

Some doctors are morally opposed to VAD. In such cases they are not allowed under the legislation to hinder a person’s attempt to find another doctor who does not have a moral objection. Neither, however, are they legally obliged to assist.

In the event that a doctor declines to assist or provide contacts for one who will, the next step is to contact the State Government’s VAD Statewide Care Navigator Service. Details are in the next section.

Starting the VAD process

If you decide that VAD is something you would like to pursue, there are a few ways to start the process.

You can raise the matter with your regular GP or specialist – remembering that the doctor can’t start this conversation, but can respond if you start it.

If you are being cared for – in hospital or at home – by a palliative care team, you can raise the matter with them.

Most major hospitals have a VAD care coordinator. If you are a patient, or an outpatient, you can ask to speak to that person.

The Victorian Government also operates a VAD Statewide Care Navigator Service. You can get in touch with it using these contacts:

• vadcarenavigator@petermac.org

• Phone: (03) 8559 5823

• Mobile: 0436 848 344

For VAD information in multiple languages other than English, see this page.

For more VAD services, see this page on the Precious Time website.

For stories that involve VAD in Victoria, see this story and this story on the Precious Time blog.