Almost 2,500 people have used voluntary assisted dying in Australia since it first became legal in Victoria in 2019.
That’s according to a new report from advocacy group Go Gentle Australia.
Voluntary assisted dying (VAD) allows eligible people with terminal illnesses to choose the time and manner of their death.
While voluntary assisted dying represents a small portion of deaths in Australia, the report found that demand for VAD services is growing.
Voluntary Assisted Dying
In 2019, Victoria became the first jurisdiction to legalise VAD. It’s now legal in every state.
The ACT and NT were blocked from making their own VAD laws until a Federal law changed in 2022.
VAD will be available in the ACT from November 2025, while the NT is considering introducing VAD legislation.
Of 5,300 Australian applicants, 2,467 people have used voluntary assisted dying. Around half of these patients died at home.
A new report found the typical VAD candidate is…
- Likely to be male
- Likely to have a cancer diagnosis
- 70-79 years of age
- In palliative care.
‘Gag clauses’
Go Gentle Australia found that ‘gag clauses’ included in Victoria and South Australian voluntary assisted dying legislation have stopped some people from accessing the service.
The clause restricts medical professionals from proposing VAD as an option to terminally-ill patients. Instead, patients must bring it up themselves.
Go Gentle CEO Dr Linda Swan said: “People can only benefit from the choice [of VAD] if they know it exists.”
Regional/ rural
The report found regional and rural patients faced additional barriers to accessing VAD, such as travelling for in-person appointments.
This is due to Federal regulations that limit medical professionals from discussing VAD using a carriage service (e.g. telehealth appointments, phone calls, or emails).
18 health groups have signed a statement calling for the Federal Government to change these regulations.
Voluntary assisted dying training
Go Gentle is also calling for more clinicians to support increasing demand.
Swan said: “Some VAD practitioners are working after hours and on weekends, and receiving little or no financial compensation.”
The challenge is “encouraging enough clinicians to complete VAD training to meet demand,” Swan said.
