Voices From Voluntary Assisted Dying

Marshall Perron drafted the world's first voluntary assisted dying legislation in 1995 as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory – decades before most nations even debated the issue, and years before it was overturned by federal intervention. 

Marshall reflects on his 21 years in Northern Territory politics and the personal conviction that drove him to champion VAD reform. He unpacks the 25-year political battle that f...

Voluntary assisted dying isn't just about end-of-life choice – it challenges medicine to rethink its purpose. Dr Clare Fellingham argues that while medicine cannot always cure, it can always heal by reducing suffering, preserving dignity, and putting patients at the centre of their care. 

Dr Fellingham is a consultant anaesthetist, palliative medicine advanced trainee, and WA Board director for VAD Australia and New...

This year, Sandra was diagnosed with the same aggressive lung cancer that took her father's life. Having spent thirteen years as an ambulance clinician and watched her father suffer through chemotherapy, she understood exactly what aggressive treatment would cost her — and chose a different path. 

Sandra speaks with Dr Laureen Lawlor-Smith about weighing an oncologist's optimism against her own clinical experience, the c...

The experience of voluntary assisted dying is shaped not only by legislation, but by access. Nicole’s family discovered that geography, travel requirements and gaps in healthcare services can create significant barriers for people facing terminal illness, particularly in regional Australia. 

Nicole shares the story of her stepfather Shane, who lived with motor neurone disease for more than two years before choosing VAD. ...

Death is universal, yet modern society often treats it as something hidden, feared and rarely discussed. Cultural anthropologist and Buddhist scholar Dr Hannah Gould explores how religion, medicine, mortality and voluntary assisted dying shape the way Australians think about death in the 21st century. 

Drawing on her research, Buddhist practice and personal experience of losing her father at a young age, Hannah reflects on why...

Access to voluntary assisted dying can depend heavily on where a patient lives. Rural doctor Dr Tim Leeuwenburg sees this firsthand through his work on Kangaroo Island, where patients often face long delays, travel burdens and complex legal barriers just to begin the VAD process. 

With decades of experience in rural medicine, anaesthesia and critical care retrieval, Tim explains why VAD has become an important extension of hol...

ACT Attorney-General Tara Cheyne reflects on the long and complex journey to legalise voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in the ACT, from the overturning of Northern Territory laws in 1997 to the restoration of territory rights in 2022 and the passage of ACT legislation in 2024. She outlines the deliberate, community-led approach taken to design a more compassionate and practical framework, removing rigid prognosis timeframes, enabling...

Voluntary assisted dying can provide dignity and relief at the end of life, but legislation must balance access with safeguards. Ann David, former President of New Zealand’s End of Life Choice Society, shares her personal journey into advocacy, explains how New Zealand’s VAD law was passed and implemented, outlines key differences from Australian models, and discusses proposed reforms aimed at improving access, eligibil...

Roles are reversed this episode as Dr Laureen Lawlor-Smith – who normally sits in the host’s chair – is interviewed by previous guest, Jane Nosworthy, VAD support group facilitator with Dying With Dignity Victoria. 

Laureen shares her own perspective as a South Australian GP who has worked with around 160 people seeking Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD). Motivated by decades of end-of-life care, including witnes...

Jane Morris, President of Dying with Dignity Victoria, traces her lifelong commitment to voluntary assisted dying, shaped by childhood experiences, nursing practice, bioethics study, and the traumatic death of her mother from motor neurone disease. 

She reflects on the pioneering advocacy of Rodney Syme and the catalytic public impact of Andrew Denton. She outlines Victoria’s recent VAD law reforms, including improved ac...

Kimberly shares the deeply personal experience of supporting two loved ones through motor neurone disease and voluntary assisted dying. Rohan who declined rapidly after his 2020 diagnosis, discovered accessing VAD was slow and complex. It was worsened by institutional barriers and limited information, but ultimately his death via PEG-administered VAD was peaceful and the least traumatic part of his illness. When Kimberly’s mo...

The world’s first voluntary assisted dying law to be enacted and used was passed in Australia’s Northern Territory – only to be overturned months later by the Federal Parliament. The man behind that historic legislation is Marshall Perron. As Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 1988 to 1995, he introduced the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, a groundbreaking and controversial step forward in end-of-life...

Dr Lynn Arnold once stood firmly against voluntary assisted dying (VAD). Initially concerned about the potential for abuse, his perspective changed after witnessing the prolonged suffering of his cousin and, later, supporting his mother through her own VAD journey. Her decision, carried out with dignity and care, revealed to him the system’s safeguards and the emotional depth of choosing death on one’s own terms. 

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Voluntary assisted dying isn’t just about law – it’s about people, compassion, and choice. Dr Peter Allcroft, one of South Australia’s most influential leaders in palliative care and voluntary assisted dying, shares how his professional journey has led him to this deeply meaningful work. 

Starting as a respiratory and sleep physician, Peter transitioned into palliative care, driven by a desire to suppor...

Casey Haining is a Research Fellow and PhD candidate at the Australian Centre for Health Law Research at QUT and also holds a research position at the University of Melbourne. Her academic work focuses on health law and end-of-life care, particularly voluntary assisted dying (VAD) and dementia. 

Casey discusses the complexities of VAD eligibility for people with dementia, especially around decision-making capacity and prognosi...

With nearly 40 years’ experience as a general practitioner, Dr Nick Carr was one of the first GPs trained in VAD in Victoria. He reflects on the privilege of supporting patients at the end of life, describing VAD experiences as deeply moving and often profoundly beautiful. He discusses his advocacy with Dying with Dignity Victoria, the emotional and practical challenges of the work, and the pressing need for law reform. Dr Ca...

Rev Dr Anna Grant-Henderson, a Uniting Church minister, reflects on her journey toward supporting VAD, shaped by personal experiences, parish ministry, and theological insights. Anna shares her role in supporting a congregant through VAD, her views on pastoral care, and the varied positions of different Synods across Australia. 

She advocates for the Church to provide clear resources to guide ministers and communities navigati...

Ben White is Professor of End-of-Life Law and Regulation at QUT’s Australian Centre for Health Law Research. With over 200 publications and $45 million in research funding, his work focuses on voluntary assisted dying (VAD), law reform, and end-of-life decision-making. 

Ben discusses the slow road to VAD legalisation in Australia, the patchwork of state laws, and barriers to access – such as gag clauses for clinici...

Letting go – of control, fear, and clinging – is not a failure, but a path to peace, compassion, and deep spiritual clarity at the end of life. 

Carol Perry, a teacher with Melbourne Insight Meditation, brings over 45 years of experience in the Insight (Vipassana) tradition of Buddhism. Carol explores how Buddhist teachings on impermanence, suffering, and letting go intersect with the realities of Voluntary Assiste...