DWDV exists to support end-of-life choices for all Victorians, including those suffering from untreatable, painful or terminal illnesses. We believe every Victorian deserves to approach the end of life with dignity, autonomy and compassion, including the choice of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) where appropriate.
We encourage all Victorians to complete an Advance Care Directive and appoint a Medical Treatment Decision Maker, and will provide specific education and advice in this regard.
Our vision: A Victoria where every person can approach the end of life with confidence, choice, and dignity, and die without unnecessary suffering.
Our mission: We inform and empower Victorians to understand and exercise their end-of-life choices, including VAD. We educate the community, provide targeted support to individuals, families and carers, and advocate to make high-quality, person-centred, and compassionate end-of-life care accessible to all Victorians.
Lived experience is central to everything we do. the voices and perspectives of people who have navigated the end of life, and their families and carers, inform our advocacy, education, support, and organisational decisions. We also work in partnership. We connect this lived experience to partners in order to amplify our purpose.
Our strategic priorities:
- Awareness and education: make all end-of-life options visible, understandable, and accessible to all Victorians.
- Supporting people: support individuals and their families and carers at critical moments in navigating end-of-life choices
- Policy and advocacy: advocate for an accessible, equitable, compassionate, and person-centred end-of-life system
- Novel solutions: identify emerging needs or gaps in Victoria's end-of-life system and test practical solutions
- Partnership in action: bring our voice and mission to all Victorians facing end-of-life choices through partner organisations
- Organisational capacity: maintain a human-centred, responsive and sustainable organisation that maximises impact.
Dying With Dignity Victoria is a member of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies.
We also collaborate with similar organisations around Australia:
- Dying with Dignity New South Wales
- Dying With Dignity Queensland
- Dying with Dignity Western Australia
- Northern Territory Voluntary Euthanasia Society
- Voluntary Assisted Dying South Australia
You can support our work by donating, joining DWDV as a member or leaving a bequest.