Andrew Denton explains the role of telehealth in voluntary assisted dying | 7.30

Labor Conference Votes on VAD Telehealth [0:00]

• Delegates at the Labor Party National Conference voted to overturn a federal ban on telehealth appointments for voluntary assisted dying (VAD).
• This decision was made despite the Prime Minister's personal opposition to the change.

  One of the few open debates at the Labor Party National Conference this weekend was also the most profound about access for all Australians to voluntary assisted dying.

Role of Telehealth in VAD [0:42]

• Andrew Denton explained that telehealth plays a role in VAD when a doctor determines a patient is too ill to travel or that delay would cause harm.
• He stated that telehealth is used in other healthcare areas, including acute care and palliative care.

  So, in the case of voluntary assisted dying, you have to have multiple assessments.

Prime Minister's Concerns and VAD Safeguards [1:24]

• The Prime Minister expressed concerns that telehealth could be misused in VAD.
• Denton addressed these concerns by highlighting the existing safeguards in VAD laws, which have been in place for seven years.
• These safeguards include multiple requests, examinations by two independent doctors trained to assess coercion, and oversight from nurses, pharmacists, and witnesses.

  If you look at the law as it exists, they are in place.

Evidence of VAD Safety [3:10]

• Denton pointed out that over 7,000 Australians have used VAD, providing a track record of its operation.
• He noted that one-third of people eligible for VAD medication have chosen not to use it, indicating careful consideration by individuals.

  And it's really instructive that one-third of people that have had the right to this medication have ended up not using it.

Support for the Change [4:05]

• Denton mentioned that the push for this change comes from a coalition including the AMA, the Law Council, over 20 health organizations, and state health ministers and attorneys-general.
• He argued that these groups would not support the change if they didn't believe it was safe and sensible.

  Now, these are not careless people.

Opposition from the Catholic Church [4:45]

• The Catholic Church has spoken out against the change, arguing it could make substances used for VAD more easily abused.
• Denton dismissed this argument as lacking evidence and substance, characterizing it as a theological objection rather than a clinical one.

  They have a different view and they're entitled to that view.

Private Member's Bill and Parliamentary Action [5:50]

• Independent MP Kate Cheney has a private member's bill that has been waiting for two years to address the telehealth prohibition.
• Denton expressed hope that the Prime Minister would allow a conscience vote on the bill if it is brought before parliament.

  It's one thing to accept it at a party conference. It's another thing to put it before the parliament.

Personal Motivation and Case Example [7:15]

• Denton's advocacy for VAD began due to his father's painful death.
• He shared the case of a man named Tom in far north Queensland, who faced extreme travel distances for VAD assessments, highlighting how the prohibition caused delays and the medication did not arrive in time.

  8,500 kilometres, three weeks, and the medication didn't reach him in time.