Page 4794 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 1 November 2017
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Supporting assisted suicide does not mean that you do not support palliative care. It means you support members of our community making their own decisions about the end of their life. That may mean support through palliative care until a natural death, or it may mean choosing to end one’s own life if one is unable to prevent suffering. It is the right thing to do to allow people who are suffering and are terminally ill the ability to choose to end their own life on their terms. We should not continue to let members of our community suffer in the last stages of their life unnecessarily.
I am far from alone in my support for assisted suicide. Assisted dying has widespread support across the Australian community. In a survey the ABC ran last year through Vote Compass, which I am assuming some of you tried yourselves, a massive three out of four Australians surveyed supported assisted suicide for a person with a terminal illness who is in pain.
Numerous other polls have similar findings. A 2012 Newspoll has support at 85 per cent. Almost all polls have support at at least 70 per cent. This support remains high across all sections of the community. A recent survey of 500 New South Wales doctors, just across the border, found that 60 per cent of them favoured changing the law in support of assisted dying. Consistently these polls are showing overwhelming community support.
Since 1995 there have been 40 bills introduced to parliaments across Australia with the intent of legalising euthanasia. Currently a bill to legalise euthanasia has passed in the Victorian lower house, and a similar bill exists in New South Wales. For both bills there is cross-party support. Party politics has no place on this issue.
In light of the community support, and the current legislation being developed in other jurisdictions, it is time that the ACT hold its own debate on the issue. Frustratingly the right to determine our own laws has been taken from us. We remain second-class citizens in Australian democracy.
Since the passing of the Andrews bill in 1997 quashing the Northern Territory’s bid to legalise euthanasia, Australian territories have been unable to legislate on this issue. As democratically elected representatives of the ACT community, we should be able to legislate on our community’s behalf. It is ridiculous that we are prevented from presenting legislation that has such widespread support amongst our own constituents.
Since the Andrews bill was passed, Canberra has grown and, conveniently, so has our Assembly. There is a wealth of knowledge and legislative experience in this government and in this chamber. It is time that we be able to determine our own laws in line with community expectations. Canberrans should not be subject to the decisions of federal MPs who do not represent them and who they have no democratic recourse against.
Members of the Assembly, whether or not you personally agree with assisted suicide is ultimately a separate issue. As representatives of our community, members of this chamber should have the right to debate and legislate on this issue. We are elected by the people of the ACT and we should be able to act for them. The current situation is
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