As the Commonwealth Attorney-General, you hold a critical role in safeguarding the integrity of our legal system and ensuring the well-being of our citizens. I write to express my deep concerns about the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) to allow the use of a 'carriage service' (such as the telephone or internet) to counsel, promote, or provide instruction on suicide, within the context of states wanting to introduce euthanasia via Telehealth. The upcoming meeting of the Attorneys-General in Perth provides a key opportunity for you to address this matter. Maintaining the current prohibition on transmitting suicide-related material via carriage services is essential to uphold the sanctity of life and protect vulnerable individuals from undue influence. Telehealth consultations, while valuable in other contexts, are ill-suited for the gravity of decision at stake in this context. They do not allow adequate opportunity to assess the full scope of the patient’s condition or decision-making capacity, including the nuances of underlying mental health conditions, and potential coercion. We urge you to consider the serious, far-reaching consequences of these proposed changes for our country and resist pressures to amend the Criminal Code Act in Perth.

I write to express my serious concerns regarding the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) related to the use of “carriage services” in discussions about suicide, as pertaining to the intention of some states to enable euthanasia via Telehealth. It is imperative to maintain existing prohibitions contained within our laws on transmitting suicide-related material via carriage services such as Telehealth. There are a complex interplay of factors that can influence end-of-life decision-making including compromised mental health / capacity, or coercive influence, and Telehealth consultations are grossly inadequate for arriving at such critical assessments. It deeply disturbs me that our country is considering such a move, which opens a dangerous door to the unfettered promotion of suicidal ideation online, and further cheapens the gravity with which we as a society steward the lives of our citizens. I implore you to resist any pressure to amend the Criminal Code Act and prioritise the sanctity of human life, the ethics of our legal system, and the protection of vulnerable individuals at the upcoming meeting of the Attorneys General in Perth on September 22.