A ban on telehealth consultations for voluntary assisted dying (VAD) is leaving some rural residents out of options. 

Telehealth is not permitted for VAD because of legislation introduced to prevent euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke from sharing information online. 

The laws carry fines of up to  $222,000 for individuals or $1,110,000 for businesses. 

Former Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Betty King, chairs the board tat reviews Victoria’s VAD program. 

She says that with “limited numbers” of GPs trained to consult on euthanasia in regional Victoria, the laws could prevent “doctors in Victoria from being able to use telehealth to discuss things and talk to patients”.

“That really is a major inhibitor,” Justice King said. 

“We have called on the Commonwealth to just exempt voluntary assisted dying from it, because we are a government, organised, legal process, but so far they have not been willing to do so.”

Western Australia's Australian Medical Association president, Andrew Miller, says governments should at least compensate for the ban on telehealth. 

“It's the same situation that there is in Victoria, things have to be put in place to enable face-to-face consultation, they're going to have to put some resources into that,” Dr Miller said. 

The Federal Government has issued a statement saying it “has no plans to amend the suicide-related material offences in the Criminal Code”.