Voluntary assisted dying will be legal in Victoria from 2019, after a landmark bill successfully passed through state parliament. The government-led, amended bill passed the Legislative Assembly after more than 100 hours of debate across both houses, including several overnight sittings.

It will make the state the first Australian jurisdiction to legalise assisted dying since the Northern Territory’s short-lived Rights of the Terminally Ill Act was overturned by federal parliament in 1997. Since then the Victorian legislation marks the first time in the world that a parliament has gone through an extensive process to introduce voluntary assisted dying. Other countries have introduced laws through referendum or a court process.

Upper house MP Fiona Patten,one of the key proponents of the legislation, told Guardian Australia she was overwhelmed that it had passed. While the upper house passed the legislation one week ago 22 votes to 18 after a marathon debate, a number of amendments were made which had to pass the lower house. “It’s very clear the vast majority of Victorians are happy the parliament has done this work,” she said.(theguardian)…[+]