Labor Faces Push to Expand Telehealth Access for Euthanasia as PM Stresses in-Person Requirements

The Australian Labor Party is under increasing pressure to amend its national policy to permit access to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) via telehealth services, with the Greens and independent MP Kate Chaney planning to introduce legislative proposals.

Recent changes to the ALP platform, approved at the party’s national conference in Adelaide, commit to overturning a Howard-era restriction that prohibits medical consultations for euthanasia through telehealth. However, the platform indicates Labor MPs may be granted a conscience vote on the matter, meaning they are not bound by party lines.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, while expressing support for VAD, raised concerns about the potential risks of telehealth implementation. He emphasized the importance of in-person medical assessments to ensure proper safeguards, stating that critical health decisions require direct, face-to-face interaction to prevent misuse or system vulnerabilities.

“People have the right to die with dignity,” Albanese told ABC TV. “But protections are essential. Just as a patient with a heart attack needs immediate, in-person care, so too should end-of-life decisions involve direct medical oversight to uphold safety and integrity.”

The federal government will determine whether to draft legislation through cabinet deliberations, with consultation from MPs. Albanese noted that while the conference sets policy direction, legislative action depends on governmental consensus. The updated platform stresses removing federal legal barriers to telehealth access for VAD while maintaining clinical safeguards.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young is expected to introduce a private member’s bill, aiming to expedite legislative progress. Chaney, representing the Curtin electorate, plans to reintroduce her own private member’s bill in the House of Representatives, arguing that rural and remote patients should not face excessive travel burdens to access lawful end-of-life care.

Advocates and medical professionals have long criticized the telehealth ban for disproportionately affecting regional communities and individuals with mobility limitations. Current federal criminal code provisions prohibit using telecommunications to incite suicide, exposing healthcare providers to potential fines of up to $300,000 for non-compliant VAD-related communications.

Labor’s revised platform explicitly commits to “removing barriers in federal law to end-of-life care, including telehealth access to voluntary assisted dying, while ensuring appropriate clinical safeguards.” A conscience vote provision ensures MPs can independently decide their stance on any future legislation.

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