PM won’t back commitment to VAD telehealth

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has opposed the use of telehealth in voluntary assisted dying (VAD), as his party endorses a conscience vote on its use.
 
He told the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday that he is a ‘supporter of voluntary euthanasia’ but said it is ‘important that protections be placed around it’.
 
Prime Minister Albanese’s comments came the day after Labor’s National Conference, where delegates voted to expand VAD access to telehealth, along with a pledge to always allow a conscience vote on the issue to be enshrined in the party’s constitution.
 
However, any move to lift the federal ban on discussing VAD via video or phone still needs Cabinet approval before being put to Parliament, and the Prime Minister remains concerned there is ‘potential for misuse’.
 
‘It should be face-to-face recognition and face-to-face engagement because otherwise what that would do, from my perspective, is undermine voluntary assisted dying,’ he said.
 
‘These are very personal decisions and that’s why it’s a conscience vote.
 
‘I respect the fact that there are different views on this … but I’m yet to be convinced.’
 
Earlier this year, Australian researchers called for the telehealth reforms, saying that, after an analysis of 230 articles, it can improve access for those in remote areas and reduce travel burdens.
 
‘Global evidence from VAD and other sensitive medical fields supports the conclusion that telehealth’s benefits outweigh its risks,’ the study concluded.
 
For RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements, most patients he discusses VAD with say ‘there is a peace in knowing that it is an option for them’.
 
However, a lack of telehealth options can act as a barrier to some rural GPs’ ability to have such conversations, he told newsGP.
 
‘The fact that right now, under the legislation we can’t have those conversations is really saddening and disappointing for those rural communities that do deserve to have all of the information at their fingertips before deciding what they want to do,’ Associate Professor Clements said.
 
‘By saying that none of it can be done over the phone doesn’t add a layer of security or safety to the process, all it really does is add another barrier for the patient.
 
‘State-based legislation is so safe and robust, and the processes around it put the patient at the centre of it; I’m quite satisfied that the rest of the safety mechanisms mean that there should be nothing to fear from losing that telehealth barrier.’
 
According to the RACGP’s VAD position statement, the college supports patient-centred decisions in end-of-life care, and ‘respects that this may include palliative care and requests for VAD’.
 
However, the college says any VAD legislation must protect both patients and doctors from coercion, ensure doctors are not compelled in any way to participate, have clear eligibility criteria, and support the optimisation of end-of-life and palliative care services.
 
The position statement also says ‘any legislation should be consistent across Australia’ and must ensure ‘robust standards, protections and transparent safeguards’. 
 
It comes as the Northern Territory Parliament prepares to hold a conscience vote next month to legalise VAD.
 
As the NT Government has the numbers to pass the Bill without crossbench or opposition support, it will likely pass.
 
In 1995, the NT became the first Australian jurisdiction to legalise VAD, only to have it overturned two years later by the Federal Government. It is now the only jurisdiction where VAD is not legalised.
 
But once passed, the Rights of the Terminally Ill Bill will make VAD legal in all Australian jurisdictions.
 
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said it is a ‘historic moment and a hard-fought achievement’.
 
‘This is a defining moment for the Territory,’ she said. ‘For the first time in three decades, a Territory Government is bringing legislation to the Parliament that gives rights of voluntary assisted dying to the terminally ill.’
 
Under the Bill, only Territorians with 12 months or less to live will have access to VAD.
 
A ‘gag clause’ will also prevent GPs from initiating VAD discussions with patients – an addition which Victoria once adopted but has since been scrapped in the state.
 
Territorians are expected to be able to access the services in less than 18 months.
 
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conscience vote end-of-life care telehealth VAD voluntary assisted dying voluntary euthanasia