Australia
Albanese under pressure to allow telehealth for voluntary assisted dying
Rank-and-file Labor delegates have challenged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over restrictions on telehealth for voluntary assisted dying.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing growing pressure to reform federal laws surrounding voluntary assisted dying, following a rare policy challenge at the federal Labor national conference last week.
According to a wire report, the national conference was almost entirely under the control of the Prime Minister, with delegates passing the vast majority of policy motions without public division. However, one specific issue broke through the carefully managed proceedings to become the only contested matter on the conference floor; delegates debated support for the use of telehealth in voluntary assisted dying care.
The debate centres on federal laws that prevent doctors from using electronic carriage services, such as video calls and phone consultations, to discuss voluntary assisted dying. Advocates argue these Commonwealth restrictions severely disadvantage terminally ill patients in regional and remote parts of Australia, who must travel vast distances to see clinicians in person to satisfy state-based legal requirements.
Despite the clear signal from the party's rank-and-file delegates, Mr Albanese has shown reluctance to move on the issue. The Prime Minister's cautious approach has drawn criticism from members who believe federal laws should be aligned with state-based voluntary assisted dying schemes, all of which are now active across Australia.
The public disagreement on the conference floor represents a notable breach in the otherwise highly disciplined event, highlighting the depth of feeling within the party on the issue.
All eyes will now be on federal parliament to see if the government yields to party pressure and introduces amendments to the Commonwealth Criminal Code to allow telehealth consultations for voluntary assisted dying.
This report draws on original reporting by Wire report.
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