The expansion of Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 passed both houses of the Parliament on 18 November 2025. Misleadingly the bill named the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025 purported to be minor adjustments to the “Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017. But when enacted it will dramatically expand access to doctor-assisted suicide and euthanasia.
The timing of consultation and the release of the bill gave all pro-life organisations little time to take action. We contacted many churches and individual supporters as well as medical doctors and other pro-life groups and sent out material to assist pro-lifers in their arguments against the bill. We were grateful to be contacted by supporters in medical areas who were unable to lobby MPs but sent donations in to support our campaign.
We thank all RTLA supporters for lobbying their MPs by writing to express their opposition to the bill. Alarmingly some MPs who opposed the 2017 bill voted for the 2015 bill. It is important to write and thank those MPs who bravely gave speeches to oppose the government bill. We saw first hand how difficult it was to stand up to the tide of legislators supporting assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Despite securing amendments passage of the bill removed many safeguards - thought VITAL in 2017 now - not considered even necessary.
Professor William L. Toffler, (above) family medicine professor at Oregon Health & Science University and national director of Physicians for Compassionate Care spoke at the Right to Life Australia conference event in 2017. He is a prominent opponent of doctor-assisted suicide, characterising it as a "doctor assisted disaster for medicine". And how right he is.
Outcomes:
- Extend the prognosis of death from 6 to 12 months – widening the net to capture more patients. ✓ APPROVED
- Allow registered medical practitioners (doctors), registered nurse practitioner (not a registered nurse), registered psychologist or registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners to initiate discussion of “VAD” with patients. ✓ APPROVED
- Allow other registered health professionals – even chinese medicine practitioners and optometrists to initiate discussion of ‘’VAD’’ with patients. MODIFIED (see above)
- Compel doctors and other conscientious objectors to give ‘’VAD’’ information. ✓ APPROVED
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- Doctors who conscientiously object must give the following information to patients :
- contact details of the “VAD” navigator service
- the address of an internet site of the Department of Health that provides information about voluntary assisted dying.
- Remove the requirement for an accredited interpreter for non-English speakers. ✓ APPROVED
- Shorten the period between the 1st and final request from 9 days to 5 days ✓ APPROVED
A vote in Parliament is recorded in each state and territory’s Hansard. A voting record on life issues is published after every debate on a bill. When a bill is debated the speeches given in the chamber are recorded in Hansard as well as votes on the bill and its amendments.
All votes taken during the debate, especially a final vote on a bill is important. Please contact your MPs who have voted against the Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025 and congratulate them on standing up for life.
Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment Bill 2025
HOW YOUR MLAs voted:
Wednesday 29 October 2025 Legislative Assembly Third reading:
Ayes (67):
Juliana Addison, Jacinta Allan, Brad Battin, Jade Benham, Roma Britnell, Colin Brooks, Josh Bull, Tim Bull, Martin Cameron, Ben Carroll, Annabelle Cleeland, Sarah Connolly, Chris Couzens, Jordan Crugnale, Lily D’Ambrosio, Daniela De Martino, Gabrielle de Vietri, Steve Dimopoulos, Wayne Farnham, Eden Foster, Will Fowles, Matt Fregon, Ella George, Luba Grigorovitch, Sam Groth, Bronwyn Halfpenny, Katie Hall, Paul Hamer, Martha Haylett, Mathew Hilakari, Melissa Horne, Natalie Hutchins, Lauren Kathage, Emma Kealy, Sonya Kilkenny, Nathan Lambert, John Lister, Gary Maas, Alison Marchant, Tim McCurdy, Steve McGhie, Cindy McLeish, Paul Mercurio, John Mullahy, James Newbury, Danny O’Brien, Kim O’Keeffe, Danny Pearson, John Pesutto, Pauline Richards, Tim Richardson, Ellen Sandell, Michaela Settle, David Southwick, Ros Spence, Nick Staikos, Meng Heang Tak, Jackson Taylor, Nina Taylor, Kat Theophanous, Mary-Anne Thomas, Emma Vulin, Vicki Ward, Rachel Westaway, Dylan Wight, Belinda Wilson, Jess Wilson
Noes (14):
Anthony Carbines, Anthony Cianflone, Chris Crewther, Matthew Guy, David Hodgett, Kathleen Matthews-Ward, Michael O’Brien, Richard Riordan, Brad Rowswell, Natalie Suleyman, Peter Walsh, Iwan Walters, Kim Wells, Nicole Werner
HOW YOUR MLCs voted
Friday 14 November 2025 Legislative Council Third reading:
Ayes (26):
Ryan Batchelor, Melina Bath, John Berger, Katherine Copsey, Georgie Crozier, Jacinta Ermacora, David Ettershank, Michael Galea, Anasina Gray-Barberio, Shaun Leane, David Limbrick, Wendy Lovell, Sarah Mansfield, Nick McGowan, Tom McIntosh, Rachel Payne, Aiv Puglielli, Georgie Purcell, Harriet Shing, Ingrid Stitt, Jaclyn Symes, Lee Tarlamis, Sonja Terpstra, Gayle Tierney, Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, Sheena Watt
Noes (14):
Lizzie Blandthorn, Jeff Bourman, Gaelle Broad, David Davis, Moira Deeming, Enver Erdogan, Renee Heath, Ann-Marie Hermans, Trung Luu, Bev McArthur, Joe McCracken, Evan Mulholland, Adem Somyurek, Richard Welch
Dealing with Legislative Council amendments:
18 Nov 2025 - The Assembly agreed to the amendments made by the Council.
Ann-Marie HERMANS Member of the Legislative Council: (17/12/25)
“Life is a gift.
I watched my father suffer. I watched his courage, his faith, and his love for life until the very end.
That experience shaped how I approached this debate - with empathy, respect, and deep concern for the consequences of removing safeguards. Removing safeguards does not make laws safer.
Patients deserve protection. Doctors deserve choice. And multicultural and regional communities deserve clear understanding, not rushed or weakened safeguards.
That’s why I opposed the recent Voluntary Assisted Dying amendments.”
The Right to Life Australia Inc. defends the right to life of all human beings from conception until natural death. We lobby government for legal protection of the most vulnerable in society – the unborn baby, elderly, sick and those with disabilities.