Independent MP Kate Chaney’s push to overturn the federal ban on telehealth for voluntary assisted dying (VAD) is gaining support from campaigners, medical experts and state authorities, with Go Gentle Australia founder Andrew Denton vowing to continue pressing the federal government for change.
The dispute centres on a 20-year-old Commonwealth carriage service law that treats remote discussions about VAD as encouraging suicide. Although VAD is legal in all six states and the ACT, the federal restriction means doctors can face serious criminal penalties for conducting eligibility assessments, providing advice or sending prescriptions through phone, video or electronic communications.
Advocates argue the problem could be resolved by removing VAD from the definition of suicide under Commonwealth criminal law, allowing existing state safeguards to regulate telehealth use.
Denton said he was pursuing the political campaign “very hard right now” and building an increasingly broad coalition of supporters. He pointed to backing from peak medical bodies, specialists in remote healthcare, state health ministers and attorneys-general, arguing that concerns about the current law extend well beyond VAD campaigners.
“What bothers me here is that there is so much expert evidence,” Mr Denton said. “You’ve got peak medical bodies, people who have expertise in remote care and the use of telehealth in VAD. You’ve got the state’s health ministers, you’ve got the state’s attorneys-general.”
Denton said the ongoing restrictions were causing unnecessary suffering, particularly for people who are bedbound or living in regional and remote areas. In Western Australia, some doctors reportedly spend as much as two days travelling thousands of kilometres to carry out assessments that advocates say could safely be completed by video.
The campaign follows a recent parliamentary attempt led by Chaney to change the law. The Western Australian independent introduced a private member’s bill that would exempt VAD from Commonwealth suicide provisions and allow telehealth consultations to operate within state-based VAD frameworks.
However, the Albanese government and Coalition combined to prevent the bill being debated, defeating the crossbench push by 74 votes to 12. The move also came despite Labor’s national conference previously supporting removal of the telehealth restriction.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed concerns that allowing telehealth could create opportunities for misuse or undermine confidence in VAD safeguards. Denton, however, argues the existing state systems already contain extensive protections and that the federal restriction adds an unnecessary barrier.
Go Gentle Australia is also reporting growing public engagement with the issue. Chief executive Dr Linda Swan said the organisation’s 2026 National VAD Survey received 2,000 responses within its first 24 hours and as many as 4,000 in its first week, while demand for assistance navigating end-of-life and aged care systems continues to rise.
The organisation is also highlighting concerns about residential aged care, saying many providers fail to clearly publish their VAD policies.
For Chaney and other reform advocates, the parliamentary defeat has not ended the campaign. Denton says supporters will continue trying to persuade federal decision-makers that telehealth can be incorporated safely into Australia’s existing VAD frameworks.