Dying with Dignity NSW

27/08/2026

A LONG AWAITED STEP FORWARD FOR TERRITORIANS. The NT Parliament has passed the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill 2026, almost 30 years after a bill of the same name was overturned by the federal government in 1997.
This means Territorians will have access to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) at end-of-life, ensuring all Australians now have equal access to this compassionate choice.
NT MLAs debated the bill and a series of amendments over the past couple of days.
Disappointingly none of the amendments raised were successful. They voted to retain a 12 month timeframe for all terminal illnesses. This differs from the NSW legislation, which has a 6 month timeframe for most terminal illnesses, except for neurodegenerative diseases such as MND, where a 12 month timeframe applies.
We remain concerned about the bill’s inclusion of a ‘gag clause’, which prevents doctors and health practitioners from raising VAD with patients as an end of life option. Victoria previously had a similar clause in their legislation, which was removed in the legislation review.
The legislation will commence in 18 months and be reviewed three years after implementation.
The NT led the world in 1995 as the first jurisdiction to legalise VAD.

24/08/2026

Join ABC Friends Central Coast for Remembering James Valentine, a free community event honouring the life and impact of the late ABC radio host who publicly championed voluntary assisted dying (VAD) and chose to access it when facing his end-of-life.
At this celebration event you’ll hear directly from a panel of experts and people with lived experience supporting a loved one through VAD. Their stories offer clarity, compassion and practical insight into what the process looks like in NSW.
Friday 28 August 🕥 10.30am
Elanora Hotel, East Gosford
Free tickets — booking essential
We encourage anyone interested in learning more about VAD, or hearing firsthand experiences, to attend.
👉 Reserve your seat: https://events.humanitix.com/remembering-james-valentine-and-learning-about-voluntary-assisted-dying

17/08/2026

Roz Hervey was just 58 and living with motor neurone disease when she asked her daughter Tilda to record her last day before accessing voluntary assisted dying, saying, "I would really encourage people to talk about this. It is so, so important that people have the opportunity to die with dignity."
Tilda spent weeks interviewing her mum, but it was in the final hours that Roz delivered this impassioned plea about voluntary assisted dying.
Watch Australian Story tonight at 8pm, The Final Act, on ABC iview: https://ab.co/3TdgGsj

12/08/2026

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! After announcing publicly at their recent party conference the federal government has backtracked on a conscience vote to allow people to use telehealth to access voluntary assisted dying. We know this means inequity for people living in regional, rural and remote places.

11/08/2026

The Go Gentle Australia national VAD survey is open. This survey helps evidence how VAD and end-of-life choice are working in Australia and what can be improved. If you have supported someone through VAD or have applied to access yourself, please take a few minutes to complete.
The survey is completely anonymous and only takes a few minutes. Please share it with your networks 🙏
Link to survey👇

Please click the link to complete this form.

04/08/2026

JOIN US TOMORROW at the Dying to Know Expo in south western Sydney to learn more about your end-of-life options. There will be more than 50 exhibitors in attendance and there's a great line up of speakers and presentations in English, Arabic and Samoan.
It's FREE to attend, there's plenty of available parking.
Date: Wednesday, 5 August 2026
Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm
Location: The Cube, Campbelltown Catholic Club
20 – 22 Camden Rd, Campbelltown NSW 2560.
You can register for your free ticket online here:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/dying-to-know-day-expo-2026-tickets-1993794385679?aff=oddtdtcreator

29/07/2026

ANDREW DENTON DELIVERS another powerful message about the impact of telehealth being excluded nationally for VAD consultations in his article in The Guardian. He presents the impact for doctors trying to support their patients by travelling great distances to see them in person, and the tragic failings for dying people when an in-person consultation isn't possible.

💛 Andrew Denton has written a powerful new piece in The Guardian on how rural Australians are still being blocked from Voluntary Assisted Dying - all because of the outdated telehealth ban.

He shows what this means for real patients, real families and the doctors trying to support them. 🌿📞

And he’s crystal clear: the Prime Minister must allow Parliament to debate this issue so rural Australians who want VAD aren’t left behind.

Read the article 👇
https://ow.ly/agmY50ZtGEG

24/07/2026

A GREAT STEP FORWARD FOR TELEHEALTH FOR VAD with the Labor party agreeing to a conscience vote to lift the national ban on using telehealth to access voluntary assisted dying (VAD). Speaking at the ALP National Conference yesterday, Victorian MP Ryan Bachelor said the laws prohibiting telehealth discussions on VAD ‘hinder care and cause unnecessary delays, It’s inequitable. It’s distressing, and it must change’.
The current ban covered by the Commonwealth Criminal Code means people in regional, rural and remote regions of Australia need to travel sometimes great distances to see doctors and specialists to access VAD when at their end-of-life. For some terminally ill people who are very unwell, isolated and/or suffering intolerably, this barrier means they are unable to access VAD.
Whilst this is great news, we are prepared to face opposition, already voiced at the conference last week, and in the media.
Thank you to everyone who signed the petition.

A Labor push to lift the ban on accessing voluntary assisted dying through telehealth has triggered a warning about unintended consequences for vulnerable Australians.

23/07/2026

GREAT NEWS FOR TERRITORIANS! Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby has confirmed that Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill has been introduced to parliament and will be debated on 26 and 27 August, meaning Northern Territory could soon join the rest of the nation with voluntary assisted dying (VAD) legislation for people to access at their end-of-life.

The bill will include a blanket prognosis to death timeframe of 12 months, and a gag clause, meaning that people need to request VAD rather than have it offered as a suite of end-of-life options by their health practitioners, as exists in the Victorian legislation. We watch with interest and hope common sense prevails when debating begins!

23/07/2026

‘I HELD HER IN MY ARMS. The end was pretty fast and I felt her drift away,’ said Australian Paralympic powerlifter, Hani Watson about her Mum's death from metastatic breast cancer.
Hani is competing in Glasgow at this year’s Commonwealth Games. In 2023 she supported her Mum in her final days of life to access voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in Queensland. The weeks and months before her passing was a healing time for them both and their relationship. Hani said despite a sometimes-challenging relationship, by the end, they had a very solid connection, everything unsaid was said, and she wanted to support her Mum’s wish not to die in hospital.
Hani was born with bowed legs and had multiple painful and only semi-successful surgeries to straighten her legs dating back to primary school. After another unsuccessful surgery in her 30s, Hani began using a wheelchair and turned to powerlifting to recover. She is resilient and courageous!
Listen to Han’s interview with Sarah Kanowski on ABC’s Conversations, presented by Richard Fidler and Sarah here:

Growing up, para powerlifter, Hani Watson’s passion for lifting had been ignited by her dad and the pack of Arnold Schwarzenegger-types in their string singlets who would accompany him to lift weights. The gym has seen Hani through agonising moments in life, and all the way to the Paralympic Games...