Victoria has become the first state to pass legislation that will allow people who are terminally ill and in intolerable pain to end their lives.

"I'm proud today that we have put compassion right at the centre of our parliamentary and our political process," said Premier Daniel Andrews, "That is politics at its best and it's Victoria doing what it does best - leading our nation."

The new law took 100 hours of debate in both houses of Parliament and two demanding all-night sittings before lower House MPs ratified it, and it does come with several conditions:  A patient would have to have been given only six months to live; the patient would have to live in Victoria for at least twelve months before making a request to access the law; death certificates would be written to indicate "assisted dying" rather than the patient's illness as the cause of death.

Although it is a victory that advocates spent two and a half years of their lives trying to achieve, it's not necessarily a time to celebrate.

"I think this must also be a day where we reflect on all of those people that have given so much to see this bill pass, particularly those with terminal illnesses who have advocated, some of them who are no longer with us, so others don't have to suffer," said neurosurgeon Professor Brian Owler, who chaired the independent ministerial advisory panel on voluntary assisted dying.  "And we must also thank their friends and family who have carried on that advocacy as well.  So, there will be mixed feelings for those people, but obviously there is relief and happiness that it is through."