Australia

Terminology

Australia uses the term Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) to describe the law which allows the provision of medical assistance to a terminally ill person for self administration or physician administration of a drug which will cause their death.

States and territories

Australia is divided into six states and two territories and, similar to the USA, each state and territory must pass their own law.

All Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) have passed legislation which legalises VAD. The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction which has not yet passed VAD legislation, despite their unique history as being the first jurisdiction in the world to pass VAD legislation in 1996. This law was overturned by the Federal government the following year. In August 2022, 25 years later, this federal law was overturned, enabling the two Territories to debate VAD.

Voluntary Assisted Dying commenced in Victoria on June 19, 2019; Western Australia (WA) on July 1, 2021; Tasmania on October 23, 2022; Queensland on January 1, 2023; South Australia (SA) on January 31, 2023; and New South Wales (NSW) on November 28, 2023. VAD will commence in the ACT in November 2025.

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