Customs officers have launched an investigation into reports that mail-order suicide kits, complete with plastic bags fitted with an adjustable collar with which people can suffocate themselves, are being imported into Australia.
The kits, which cost A$86 (HK$360) and include a guide to a range of drugs which can be taken to commit suicide, are made in Canada.
While endorsed by some euthanasia groups, the so-called 'exit bags' have sparked outrage among right-to-life organisations.
Justice and Customs Minister Chris Ellison has called for a report to determine whether there are grounds to prevent the bags from being imported.
'The possibility of mail-order suicide kits being imported into Australia is an unprecedented proposal, which could require remedial action,' Mr Ellison said.
A spokeswoman for the minister said it was impossible to say how many of the bags had been imported into the country, although the Customs service 'is not aware that it has been a significant problem'.
Under Australian law, it is illegal to aid or incite a person to commit suicide. If the guide includes instructions on how to help someone suffocate himself with the bag, it would constitute a criminal offence.