As the melanoma spread to his brain, his wishes to his doctors were clear: he did not want an invasive procedure. Quality of life was his main priority. But, in the end, that diminished too.

He lost six kilograms in four weeks, vomited uncontrollably, struggled to walk. He grew depressed and angry that there was no cure. And he told his family that he wanted to end it. Eventually, he did in a shocking incident involving general household items.

Victorian Coroner John Olle recently told this harrowing story to a state parliamentary committee, which will deliver a report this week recommending sweeping changes to the law – including the likely suggestion of an assisted dying regime for people who are suffering.

But as Mr Olle also explained, it is one sad story in a trend of many: whereby terminally ill people have chosen suicide, rather than endure ongoing pain and suffering at the end of their life.

"The tally is not ending: a lovely lady who had the ability to step off the platform in front of a train ... It goes on and on," he said.

"The people we are talking about in this small cohort have made an absolute clear decision. They are determined. The only assistance that could be offered is to meet their wishes, not to prolong their life."

As a specialist court with the jurisdiction to investigate reportable deaths, the Coroners Court has seen it all. Now, for the first time, it has offered Parliament a detailed snapshot that adds weight to the debate around voluntary euthanasia.

According to figures sent to the committee last week, the Coroners Court identified 240 suicides across the state between 2009 and 2013 involving people who were experiencing "irreversible decline" in their physical health due to diseases (such as cancer or Parkinson's) or injury (such as road or workplace accidents).

Poisoning was the method of death in a third of all cases, typically with drugs that had been prescribed to treat the person's health condition. Hanging was the second most common option – taking place in a quarter of suicides linked to irreversible decline – while firearms were involved in about 14 per cent.

And in terms of age and gender, men represented the biggest cohort – 180 of the 240 suicides – mostly involving people aged over 55.

It's the kind of information that many would rather ignore – shocking, sad, hard to fathom – but in the context of an inquiry into end-of-life choices, it's the kind of data you just can't avoid.

For the past 10 months, Parliament's Legal and Social Issues Committee has been investigating the vexed question of how we die, receiving more than 1000 submissions and hearing from more than 100 witnesses: some in favour of law reform; others vehemently against it.

But as revealed by The Sunday Age this month, the committee's report is expected to be big, potentially going so far as to suggest a regulated, assisted dying regime for people who are suffering.

Such a recommendation would inevitably polarise the community and challenge Premier Daniel Andrews, who has so far stopped short of backing voluntary euthanasia or any other reforms – despite conceding last year that "there is perhaps more public support for this change than there has ever been".

But proponents say a shift is long overdue: for instance, when the ABC's Vote Compass recently asked more than 200,000 people whether terminally ill people should be able to legally end their own lives with medical assistance, about 75 per cent of respondents agreed. A similarly overwhelming response also occurred at the last federal election, based on a sample of more than 1.4 million people.

The Coroner's findings have added to the debate by highlighting a common theme: that in the absence of an assisted dying  scheme in Victoria, people who once lived full and productive lives are killing themselves anyway.

"These are people who are suffering from irreversible physical terminal decline or disease, and they are taking their lives in desperate, determined and violent ways," Magistrate Caitlin English told the committee.

Whether Parliament agrees that it's time for reform is yet to be seen, but one thing is certain: the evidence to the inquiry has been compelling.

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