Premier Steven Marshall says Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation will progress to debate ‘immediately’ in Lower House

Premier Steven Marshall says he has decided to progress debate on voluntary euthanasia legislation immediately, after the Bill passed the state’s Upper House last night.

South Australia’s Lower House of parliament will soon begin debating euthanasia laws, after the legislation was passed by the state’s Upper House late last night.

Premier Steven Marshall said the issue was important and its consideration should not be “unduly delayed” by parliamentary processes.

He said, for that reason, the process of allocating time to the debate has already begun.

“That is why I have decided to progress debate on this legislation immediately,” he said on Thursday.

“The community expects parliament to act swiftly and decisively on issues that impact them, and that is why I am allocating government business time to debate the legislation now that it has passed the Upper House.”

Mr Marshall said he intended to vote in favour of the legislation.

“While I personally don’t believe I would use VAD for myself, I don’t believe I should stop others from having that choice, which is why I will be supporting the Bill,” he said.

“The legislation is a conscience vote and I remain respectful of my colleagues to vote accordingly.”

Deputy Opposition Leader Susan Close said, given the Premier’s statement, she expected the bill would likely be debated in the Lower House on Tuesday.

“I think it’s important to now that South Australians are expecting us to make a decision as a parliament that we proceed as quickly as possible to begin the debate,” she said.

“We don’t know how that vote will go, but we do know that over 80 per cent of people in South Australia are looking forward to this legislation passing.

“There is a high expectation that people have a right to control their final moments when they are in their darkest times and that parliamentarians do not stand in their way.”

The Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Bill passed the Upper House just after 11.30pm on Wednesday, after more than six hours of debate.

Fourteen members voted for it and seven voted against it.

The Bill passed with several amendments, including one that makes clear that voluntary dying is not palliative care, and bars palliative care practitioners from involvement in VAD.

The other amendments relate to safeguards that ensure doctors involved in VAD are not family members of the patient, and do not benefit in any way from the death.

On Thursday morning, Labor MLC Kyam Maher said the constructive debate was “held in the way that people would want their parliament to operate”.

Kyan Maher speaking before the Euthanasia Bill was voted on in the South Australian Upper House.

“It was a respectful debate where we had people with very genuinely deeply held views that were diametrically opposed,” he said.

“It’s one of those issues that is fundamentally important to a lot of people.”

But Labor MLC Clare Scriven, who voted against the legislation, said there was clear evidence that VAD safeguards are ignored or diluted once the practice becomes legal.

“We need to ask: do we want our loved ones to feel pressured to end their life, do we want our loved ones to feel they are a burden on society or their family, do we want our loved ones to feel they have a duty to ask to die prematurely?”

SA-BEST MLC Frank Pangallo also voted against, and said society was “heading down a dangerous path” with the legislation.

“No matter what spin the supporters put on it, it is state sanctioned suicide,” he said.

“I do respect the views of my colleagues who supported and opposed it. But it will open the door to an expansion of the criteria in the years after they’ve long gone.”

Mr Pangallo said he was “particularly disappointed” by the rejection of an amendment he proposed with Ms Scriven that would have allowed conscientious objection for faith-based private hospitals like Calvary Care.

Euthanasia Bill being voted on in the South Australian Upper House.

“They should have a right to determine whether or not VAD happens in their hospitals,” he said.

“It is nonsensical to approve conscientious objection for health practitioners, which is what happened last night, but exclude the wishes of the hospitals where they may be employed.”

Many advocates of VAD stayed in the chamber to watch the vote, including those with personal connections to the issue.

SA Greens MLC Tammy Franks, a long-time advocate of VAD, commended the Upper House for passing the Bill.

“Tonight, the Upper House took a caring and compassionate approach to those who are suffering, giving those people choices,” she said.

“This Bill must now be given all the government debating time it needs to be properly considered in the Lower House, unfettered by the usual stalling tactics and political parlour games we see in these ‘conscience votes’, so that this year we can finally get it done.”

Labor MLC Irene Pnevmatikos, who also voted for the Bill, said it had survived attempts by opponents to “dismantle integral parts”.

“The legislation agreed to in the Legislative Council gives people the choice to use Voluntary Assisted Dying as a dignifying and safe choice at the end of life,” she said.

Liberal MLC Jing Lee, also in favour, said she felt a deeply personal connection to the issue, and it was a relief that the legislation had passed.

“It’s been an emotional journey for me and many others who had experienced the prolonged suffering and subsequent death of loved ones in horrible ways,” she said.

“I feel as though my late mother is watching us from above with her nod of approval.”