Episode 29 – SA Deputy Premier Kyam Maher reflects on the hard-fought push for VAD

Kyam Maher, South Australian Deputy Premier and Attorney-General, reveals how his mother's harrowing pancreatic cancer death drove him to introduce South Australia's successful 2020 voluntary assisted dying legislation—succeeding where 15 previous bills over 26 years had failed.  Maher chairs Sout…

Episode 28 – How the NT's New VAD Law Falls Short of 1995

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 Territ…

Episode 27 – You Can't Always Cure, But You Can Always Heal

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 Felli…

Episode 26 – Sandra’s journey to access VAD

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.  …

Episode 25 – Nicole

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.  Nicol…

Episode 24 – Why We Need Better Conversations About Dying

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 centu…

Episode 23 - The Rural Reality of Voluntary Assisted Dying with Dr Tim Leeuwenburg

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 …

Episode 22 - How the ACT Legalised Voluntary Assisted Dying

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 delibe…

Episode 21 – From Advocacy to Law: The Evolution of VAD in New Zealand

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 impl…

Episode 20 – Dr Laureen Lawlor-Smith’s own reflections on VAD

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 ar…