Voluntary assisted dying: The expanded role of psychiatrists in Australia and New Zealand

In November 2021, New Zealand joined the Australian states of Victoria and Western Australia in making voluntary assisted dying (VAD) legally available. Three other Australian states, Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia, also passed VAD legislation in 2021 (Table 1). VAD legislation in each jurisdiction provides a medico-legal framework, including assessment by two independent medical practitioners, to enable people experiencing unbearable suffering from a terminal illness to access medical assistance to end their lives. VAD marks a significant societal change as it becomes an option in end-of-life care, resulting in legal, ethical and clinical ripples and transforming the landscape of medical and psychosocial care of terminally ill patients.