‘Final defiant sparks of life’, Andrew Denton marks a decade of Voluntary Assisted Dying reform

Go Gentle Australia founder and former broadcaster Andrew Denton delivered an emotional address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, marking a decade of launching his campaign for Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD).

VAD laws in Australia began in 1995 with the Northern Territory’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, which made history as the world’s first legal framework for voluntary euthanasia, before being overturned by the federal government two years later.

Since then, every Australian state and territory has introduced legal VAD. The Northern Territory has passed legislation that will make the practice legally operational in early 2028.

In his address, Denton warned the work of VAD reform is far from finished. He said the most pressing barriers include obstruction by hospitals and aged care providers that object to VAD. He also called for stronger protections to ensure institutions do not prevent patients from exercising their legal rights.

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