Independent MP Kate Chaney wants the federal parliament to back her push to overturn the ban for using telehealth consultations to access voluntary assisted dying services. 

Ms Chaney introduced a private member's bill to the House of Representatives last month, saying that some Australians were missing out on medical advice because of an inconsistency between state, territory and Commonwealth laws. 

Voluntary assisted dying (VAD) is now lawful in all Australian states. However, due to a decades-old amendment, the Commonwealth Criminal Code prevents people from promoting suicide using a carriage service.  

Late last year, the Federal Court found that this included online VAD consultations. This means doctors are at risk of being prosecuted if they use telehealth to discuss VAD with patients. 

Kate Chaney MP said "In recent years, telehealth has helped vastly improve access to health services, especially in regional and remote Australia" but she said it is now considered an integral part of our health care delivery, except when it comes to end of life care. 

PHOTO: Kate Chaney Mp. Image: Facebook. 

"Decades ago, this section was inserted to prevent a person from causing another to take their own life. As an unintended and unfortunate consequence, it is now preventing eligible patients from accessing legal end-of-life options simply because of where they live," she said. 

Dr Cameron McLaren, Voluntary Assisted Dying Australia & New Zealand added that whole "Telehealth assessments for VAD eligibility continue to be conducted in New Zealand, and other jurisdictions around the world with no evidence to suggest that this jeopardises patient safety". 

He said that " every voluntary assisted dying review board in the country has recommended allowing Telehealth assessments for VAD eligibility.”  

Linda Swan, Go Gentle Australia CEO said the Government should “not be forcing terminally ill people to travel long distances.” 

Chaney said the federal government was well aware of the issue and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus had committed to considering her bill. 

“I'm calling on the Federal Government to show compassion to people who can’can'tess treatment options that are easily available to those living in major centres”. 

She said “The Commonwealth Criminal Code in its current form is neither fair nor equitable. But that can be easily set right if the Parliament passes this Bill.”