The Australian state of Victoria has started to put together a program that will allow incurably ill people to legally be euthanized. The bill narrowly passed late last year after months of intense debate. But many supporters of euthanasia are concerned that Australia's first such law is too narrow, and will exclude many people living with intolerable pain. Greg Navarro has the story. 

Catherine Ringwood has the kind of insight into end of life care that most people never see. As a retired nurse.

CATHERINE RINGWOOD RETIRED NURSE "I remember very vividly one patient, one man that I looked after who I used to come on in the morning and every morning he would ask me, could you help me die? What's the answer to that from a nurse working in palliative care? I couldn't assist him to die because it was against the law."

And now at the age of 67, Ringwood is battling incurable leukaemia and breast cancer. Despite being a longtime euthanasia supporter, she's unhappy with the state of Victoria's recently passed bill to legalise voluntary assisted dying.

CATHERINE RINGWOOD RETIRED NURSE "It doesn't take into account people who have had chronic pain all of their life, they are living with a chronic disorder, they are worn out, they are sick of it, they want to go Death is more closer for me and suddenly you are confronted with the possibility of your own death, so it really makes you have to think about issues like that."

The controversial bill narrowly passed through the state's parliament -- after more than a year and a half of inquiries, and the vocal support of Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.

DANIEL ANDREWS VICTORIAN STATE PREMIER "My own views have evolved over the last year when I was losing my dad to cancer."

DR RODNEY SYME VICE PRESIDENT, DYING WITH DIGNITY VICTORIA "And the health minister's mother had an appalling form of multiple sclerosis so both of them were immersed, if you like, in practical suffering and so that has a huge effect on the way people view these issues."

The law will give terminally ill patients with a life expectancy of less than 6 months the ability to choose when they die. And it excludes people with dementia and other diseases that impair their ability to make sound decisions. Despite its narrow focus, the bill faced very vocal opposition from religious and conservative groups.

MARGARET TIGHE PRESIDENT, RIGHT TO LIFE AUSTRALIA "Simply because it is killing, legalising killing and I feel very concerned as to the lives that are going to be lost because of this."

Doctor Rodney Some also has a unique view of end of life care. His support for voluntary assisted dying began decades ago when he says there was nothing he could do to treat a patient's constant and unbearable pain.

DR RODNEY SYME VICE PRESIDENT, DYING WITH DIGNITY VICTORIA "It had a profound effect on me and I thought why if I were in that situation would I be able to achieve relief for that suffering but my patient cannot."

Since then, Syme has counselled about 2,000 people and, he says, in some cases, risked his career and challenged the legal system by giving them the option to end their own lives.

DR RODNEY SYME VICE PRESIDENT, DYING WITH DIGNITY VICTORIA "I give medication to people and then it is their decision. It is never my intention that a person would end their life. I want to make it, yes, possible that they could do that but it doesn't mean to say that they will." I've had a number of patients who I given medication and they haven't used it. Does that mean it wasn't useful? No, it was very useful because it helped them to go on for a longer time and it's actually helped them to die naturally."

GREG NAVARRO MELBOURNE "In a study reportly by the Australian Medical Association, about 3 quarters of the doctors surveyed believe that palliative care cannot treat all types of pain, but less than half say they'd actually be willing to help a patient with assisted dying."

MARGARET TIGHE PRESIDENT, RIGHT TO LIFE AUSTRALIA "Many of them are very distressed about this because they are people who are working hard, really caring for people, trying to improve their situation, working to develop new strategies, new research and then this comes a long, legislation that says if these people want to have their life ended they can, you can kill them."

Catherine Ringwood doesn't know if she would qualify under the law because of the life expectancy provision of less than 6 months.

CATHERINE RINGWOOD RETIRED NURSE "There are so many people who going to be excluded from this, it doesn't address the real issue of who owns your own life."

Victoria's voluntary assisted dying law is set to take effect next year.Greg Navarro, CGTN, Melbourne.