Who are we Victorian Parliamentarians Retirement Village We are residents, family and friends of present and Electorate Member Office Address Phone Residents of Victoria Bass Brian Paynter Wonthaggi Office: 9 McBride Avenue, 03 5672 4755 past retirement village residents. Some of us work Wonthaggi VIC 3995 Bellarine Lisa Neville Shop G066, Gateway Plaza, 03 5250 1987 with villages. We are nearly all volunteers and Leopold VIC 3224 Benambra Bill Tilley 14 Stanley Street, 02 6024 4488 personally contributing the funds for this brochure. Wodonga VIC 3690 Bendigo East Jacinta Allan 107A Mitchell Street, 03 5443 2144 We support Andrew Denton’s Go Gentle Australia Bendigo VIC 3550 Who decides if we die in Bendigo West Maree Edwards 8 Panton Street, 03 5444 4125 and Stop Victorians Suffering who provide Golden Square VIC 3555 extreme suffering? Buninyong Geoff Howard 15 Main Road, 03 5331 7722 us advice and guidance. Ballarat VIC 3350 Eildon Cindy McLeish Shop 10, 38-40 Bell Street, 03 9730 1066 Yarra Glen VIC 3775 Politicians, if we Euroa Steph Ryan 25 Bridge Street East, 03 5762 1600 Please help us to be heard Benalla VIC 3672 Evelyn Christine Fyffe 143 Main Street, 03 9735 3208 don’t speak now. – donate $5 Lilydale VIC 3140 Geelong Christine Couzens Shop 1/71 Bellarine Highway, 03 5221 3131 As we get closer to the vote the powerful (and Newcomb VIC 3219 Gembrook Brad Battin Suite 5, 6-8 Langmore Lane, 03 9796 1987 Our voices wealthy) groups who don’t want change will Berwick VIC 3806 Gippsland East Tim Bull 143 Main Street, 03 5152 3491 invest in the media and behind the scenes to Bairnsdale VIC 3875 must be heard. Gippsland Danny O'Brien 54B Cunninghame Street, 03 5144 1987 get their message across – this has happened South Sale VIC 3850 Hastings Neale Burgess 6 Eramosa Road, 03 5977 5600 over 30 times before. Somerville VIC 3912 Lara John Eren Shop 89, 1st Floor, Corio Village Centre, 03 5275 3898 We are mostly volunteers but we can do a lot Bacchus Marsh Road, Corio VIC 3214 Lowan Emma Kealy 114 Firebrace Street, 03 5382 0097 with a little. Please donate $5 (or more) to Stop Horsham VIC 3400 Macedon Mary-Anne Shop 14, Nexus Centre, 9 Goode Street, 03 5428 2138 Victorians Suffering so OUR opinions can be Thomas Gisborne VIC 3437 Melton Don Nardella 3 Alexandra Street, 03 9743 9825 heard. Melton VIC 3337 Mildura Peter Crisp 35 Deakin Avenue, 03 5021 2828 Mildura VIC 3500 All donations over $2 are tax deductible. Monbulk James Merlino 1635 Burwood Highway, 03 9754 5401 Belgrave VIC 3160 Google: Stop Victorians Mornington David Morris 321 Main Street, 03 5975 4799 To donate on the web: Mornington VIC 3931 Suffering or Go Gentle Australia, or phone Morwell Russell Thorne 12-14 George Street, 03 5133 9088 Morwell VIC 3840 0473 634 314 with your card details. Murray Plains Peter Walsh 496 High Street, 03 5482 2039 Echuca VIC 3564 “I have been diagnosed with rapid and incurable Narracan Gary Blackwood 3/24 Mason Street, 03 5623 1960 brain cancer. I am tough. I know death and Thank you too for your support. Warragul VIC 3820 Nepean Martin Dixon Shop 1, McCrae Plaza, Corner Lonsdale St 03 5986 6661 I don’t want to die suffering. I need a choice.” and Pt Nepean Rd, McCrae VIC 3938 If you have a question please contact: Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy 15 Murphy Street, 03 5721 6155 Jen Barnes, 40 years a Victorian nurse. Wangaratta VIC 3677 Stacey Halls Polwarth Richard Riordan 115A Bromfield Street, 03 5231 5046 Colac VIC 3250 Go Gentle Australia Ripon Louise Staley 177 High Street, 03 5461 1255 M: 0473 634 314 Maryborough VIC 3465 E: [email protected] Shepparton Suzanna Sheed 5 Vaughan Street, 03 5831 6944 Shepparton VIC 3630 South Barwon Andrew Katos Level 1, 174-178 Torquay Road, 03 5243 5222 Grovedale VIC 3216 South-West Roma Britnell 94 Liebig Street, 03 5562 8230 Coast Warrnambool VIC 3280 Wendouree Sharon Knight 17 Lydiard Street North, 03 5331 1003 Ballarat VIC 3350 Yan Yean Danielle Green Suite 3/14 Yan Yean Road, 03 9432 9782 Diamond Creek VIC 3089 In the end it’s your choice. ABN: 61 613 668 643 Victorian politicians will You will: Who supports this law soon vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on a 1. have a serious and incurable condition The majority of Victorians. Opinion polls new law for Voluntary 2. be experiencing deep suffering over the last decade show consistent support at Assisted Dying 3. be beyond even the reach of palliative between 70-80%, including high levels of - village residents have care. Catholics and Anglicans. your say You will have to request doctors to act. Two An Australian Medical Association doctors will have to agree that, medically speaking, Doctors. Our politicians will decide if they will give us survey last year found that almost 40% of there is no hope. They will prescribe you a lethal control of how we wish to die if we are doctors support Voluntary Assisted Dying and drink which you can choose to take – or not. experiencing extreme physical suffering. that a majority would help terminally ill people There are three basic principles; die if it became law. If our politicians vote ‘Yes’ for the new laws we 1. your request must be voluntary can get medication that will assist us to die as we Nurses. Victoria’s nurses, our primary choose and not face extreme suffering. This is 2. you must be a mentally competent adult. caregivers and those who deal most closely called ‘voluntary assisted dying’ (VAD). This excludes children or those with with the suffering of dying patients, officially dementia or Alzheimer’s disease support a law for Voluntary Assisted Dying. If our politicians vote ‘No’, nothing will change. 3. you must suffer from a physical illness. We will have to hope a doctor will ‘help’ us in our Who wants to stop this law final days – by breaking the law. Who decides if we get the new Mainly conservative faith-based groups. They We won’t have a choice of when we die or how VAD laws and when have been effective in blocking more than we die. We will have to suffer and wait for our The elected politicians of the Victorian 30 previous attempts to pass this law around illness to kill us in a hospital or hospice or in Parliament decide. Australia. palliative care. It is very unlikely we will die at The VAD reforms have been in development home, with our family. for two years by the Government, with a How can you be heard Evidence from the Victorian Coroner shows that Parliamentary Committee Inquiry, an Expert A hand written letter is very powerful. an alarming number of us faced with Ministerial Advisory Panel and a Discussion Please write to your local member. See untreatable illness will decide to commit Paper. addresses on the next page. suicide, alone, to protect family and doctors. The VAD legislation has been written and will Strength in numbers But the new VAD laws can change this. You be voted on in the Victorian Parliament, most will have choice. You will have control. likely by the end of the year. Each politician With others in the village organise an will have a ‘conscience’ vote – meaning they appointment and take the village bus. What is the new VAD law can vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ based on what they You should be respectfully seen - you are all The objective of the new Voluntary Assisted individually feel is best – or right. local constituents. AND organise a petition to Dying law is to offer relief from suffering to Your only say in this is with your local your local MP. If you do any of these, consider competent adults who are in the “last weeks and Member of Parliament before the vote. If you letting your local paper know. months” of an incurable physical illness, such as want your voice heard, you need to speak to cancer. him or her soon. .