Deaths under Victoria's assisted-dying law rose by nearly one-third in the past year, new official figures show, as the Australian state prepares to expand access in 2027 and Catholic leaders warn of reduced safeguards for vulnerable patients.
Five hundred twelve people died in Victoria, a southeastern Australian state whose capital is Melbourne, after being administered a voluntary assisted dying (VAD) substance in the year ending June 30, according to the Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board's annual report.
The total was up 31.6% from 389 deaths in 2024-2025 and represented 1.1% of all deaths in the state, the report said. It also recorded 1,156 applications, nearly 40% more than in the prior year.
Of the 512 deaths, 372 followed self-administration of the VAD substance and 140 followed practitioner administration, the report said. The board said VAD deaths were nearly four times the number reported in the program's first full year after Victoria's law came into force in 2019.
Victoria's new report is the latest evidence of a national trend. Since Victoria became the first Australian state to introduce VAD, more than 14,000 people nationwide have applied for access, and more than 7,000 have died after using a VAD substance, according to Go Gentle Australia's 2026 State of VAD report, an advocacy group that supports the practice. The group said VAD now accounts for an estimated 2%-3% of deaths nationally.
VAD is available in Australia's six states and the Australian Capital Territory. The Northern Territory passed its own law in August, though the system is not expected to begin operating until 2028.
Victoria's Parliament passed amendments in November 2025. Scheduled to take effect April 19, 2027, the changes will broaden eligibility, shorten the minimum request period from nine days to five, and allow some health professionals to initiate discussions about VAD as part of end-of-life care.
In an October 2025 pastoral letter, Victoria's Catholic bishops warned the changes would allow practitioners to raise euthanasia and assisted suicide with patients who "may be at their most vulnerable." They said this would further weaken safeguards and urged lawmakers to strengthen access to palliative care instead.
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher likewise said the Church must offer "positive alternatives," including palliative care, pastoral care, and respite care for families caring for the dying and elderly.
