{
  "id": 4804210,
  "title": "South Australian Labor government ‘implores’ Albanese government to legislate telehealth for VAD care",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/south-australian-labor-government-implores-albanese-government-to",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T05:33:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/south-australian-labor-government-implores-albanese-government-to-legislate-telehealth-for-vad-care-290828"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Malinauskas Labor government in South Australia is urging the Albanese federal government to pass legislation allowing telehealth in voluntary assisted dying (VAD) care. In a letter to the federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland and Deputy Premier Kyam Maher, Health Minister Blair Boyer highlighted that the Labor national conference in July voted to remove the ban on telehealth. \"We now implore the federal government to address this issue,\" Boyer wrote, urging amendments to the Criminal Code to better align with contemporary healthcare practices. The ministers suggested a targeted amendment to the code's definition of \"suicide\" to explicitly exclude conduct under VAD state and territory laws. They noted that the current provision disproportionately impacts people in regional and remote communities, creating barriers to equitable healthcare access. The letter, signed by 19 health professionals and advocates, including VAD practitioners, emphasized that telehealth is essential for improving access for patients unable to attend in-person appointments. The ministers expressed hope that the federal government would prioritize this issue and take immediate action. No response has been received yet from Rowland's office. The South Australian cabinet, including Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and independent Kate Chaney, supports the telehealth position for VAD care.",
  "summary": "The prime minister has made it clear he is not in favour of allowing telehealth to be used, regardless of the Labor national conference decision in favour of it.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}