The AH&MRC and member services have been invited to provide feedback as part of a review on the NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Act (2022). Members may have received a request from the NSW Ministry of Health to review a background paper and provide feedback. The AH&MRC will be collating member responses to the review questions to provide a consolidated response on behalf of the sector.
Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) in NSW
Voluntary assisted dying means some people can ask a doctor for medical help to die. A person must meet strict eligibility criteria and follow all the legal steps outlined in the Act. You can only access VAD in NSW from a doctor who is approved and has done special training. Voluntary assisted dying offers an additional choice for care for eligible people. This choice is alongside end of life options they already have.
More information can be found on the NSW Health webpage: Information for Aboriginal communities
The review of the Act aims to strengthen the model and frameworks that support VAD in NSW. The review focuses around four themes:
- Patient choice
- Equitable access, respect and inclusion
- Safeguards for patients and healthcare workers, and
- Service delivery and sustainability.
If you would like to provide input to the AH&MRC’s response, please access the background paper and send any feedback to the AH&MRC Policy team at policy@ahmrc.org.au, by Wednesday 11 February 2026.
We will also discuss this in the February Policy Advisory Group meeting for another opportunity to provide input.
