New assisted dying laws 'within two years'

Fledgling Labor frontbencher Nat Cook is emerging as the likely candidate to carry the torch for voluntary euthanasia in parliament this term, as right-to-die advocates grapple with the absence of a generation of Lower House champions for change.

Victoria voluntary euthanasia bill passes lower house

Laws allowing voluntary assisted dying have passed Victoria’s lower house after a marathon debate, with exhausted MPs voting 47-37 to pass the controversial bill.

Speaker Michael Atkinson had the deliberative vote, but the euthanasia bill was defeated after Steven Griffiths, John Rau, Troy Bell and Dan Van Holst Pellekaan changed their vote between the second and third reading divisions. Photos: Nat Rogers / InDaily

Why did these MPs change their vote on voluntary euthanasia?

UPDATED: The architect of the voluntary euthanasia bill that was killed off by a single vote in state parliament early this morning says he doesn’t know whether he will pursue controversial right-to-die legislation again.

Euthanasia debate: State-sanctioned killing is always wrong

It is always wrong for the state to kill its citizens even when they request it, argues Labor MP and former Cabinet minister Tom Kenyon.

SA euthanasia bill amended to lift support

The voluntary euthanasia bill in South Australia has been amended to exclude disability and mental illness as grounds for euthanasia.

Jay denies rift after colleagues help kill "culture war" gender bill

Premier Jay Weatherill says the defeat of transgender equity legislation that he had personally championed does not represent a blow to his authority, because it was lost on a conscience vote of parliament.

Going gently into a question of life and death

Andrew Denton has forged a considerable reputation on his knack for getting his interview subjects to open up, often about painful experiences.