Editorial: Spineless MPs won’t take a position on euthanasia

This term’s crop of state MPs who are dodging the issue of legalised euthanasia are either cowards or fools, writes the editor.

It demonstrates much about the calibre of the current crop of state parliamentarians that they are unwilling or unable to discuss an issue like voluntary assisted dying laws.

Our second-tier level of politics was once filled with many talented community champions, people of conviction who got out of bed every day willing to advocate on behalf of their constituents.

However this generation of state MPs contains more than a few vacuous types, monotype members who prize their anonymity almost as much as their publicly funded pay packet.

This has been illustrated with aplomb during The Courier-Mail’s attempts to ask the 93 members of Queensland’s 57th Parliament their personal opinion on euthanasia.

Freed from the yoke of political party solidarity to talk about a topic that is on the agenda of legislatures across the globe, the vast majority wouldn’t or couldn’t voice a view.

This means one of two things.

They are either cowards operating under the hope that their vote goes unnoticed by their electorates amid the hubbub when legislation eventually comes before the parliament.

Or they are fools who have failed to educate themselves on what is an obvious topic for any publicly elected official at this level.

There is no grey area.

Sure, the genesis of the voluntary assisted dying laws that will come before Parliament this term was less than ideal.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk plucked the issue from the Queensland Law Reform Commission in the hope it may be the harbinger of success at last year’s state election.

But now that legislation is certain to come before the Parliament, MPs have for months been duty-bound to read up on the issues, gauge some initial opinions from their electorate and begin forming an informed view.

It’s acceptable, wise even, for MPs to be of the view that they cannot unequivocally state whether they will or won’t vote for the laws until they have read the legislation.

But that’s also an enormously convenient excuse to duck for cover.

Because simply not being able to read the proposed Queensland legislation yet doesn’t prohibit them from publicly discussing what aspects of such laws may cause them concern, specific safeguards they’d like to see included or examples of where they believe such legislation has worked.

For example, Victoria passed its voluntary assisted dying act in 2017 with the law coming into force in 2019.

Our MPs could have and should have got across how the Victorian system works, identified areas they may or may not be able to support and, as representatives of the people, be willing to discuss it.

Instead, they hide behind the fig leaf of undrafted legislation, contemptuously treating the Queenslanders who elected them like mugs along the way.

This is hardly a new phenomenon.

The modern political playbook prides obfuscation over principle, spin before sincerity and central control over independence.

Here in Queensland, we’ve seen it repeatedly whenever there’s a conscience vote on a contentious topic, like civil unions, stem cell and abortion laws, and even on routine bills when MPs are expected to vote on party lines.

It’s little wonder that the malaise which has enveloped politics only worsens when its practitioners are such spineless opportunists who betray their responsibility to the public and simply set out to prove at each election that they aren’t as bad as the other lot.

Pathetic.

SPIN GETS YOU NOWHERE

IT IS now clear that a healthy dose of good luck rather than proper management of hotel quarantine has led to Queensland’s success during the coronavirus pandemic.

As the report into the Grand Chancellor Hotel outbreak found “the cluster is most likely to be the result of multiple weaknesses in prevention and control”.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was in full spin mode yesterday ahead of the report’s release and a meeting of National Cabinet.

She took to national breakfast television to demand Prime Minister Scott Morrison do more as she pushed her plan for returning travellers to quarantine in empty mine camps.

“This virus is actually circulating in the corridors,” she warned.

However, as the report found, lax systems led to Queensland being exposed to a full blown outbreak of the highly contagious UK variant of COVID-19 and the entire Greater Brisbane region was shut for three days as a precaution.

Rather than yet another episode of blame shifting, the Queensland Premier needs to take some responsibility for ensuring better protocols are in place.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by the Editor Kelvin Healey, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available here.