Queensland MPs share personal pain ahead of historic euthanasia vote
Queensland MPs who have lost parents to terminal illness have spoken of heartbreaking losses after voluntary assisted dying legislation was introduced to state parliament. HOW YOUR MP WILL VOTE
QLD Politics
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Queensland’s MPs have spoken of the heartbreaking loss of loved ones and the weight of their decision to support or oppose Voluntary Assisted Dying in the upcoming, historic vote in parliament.
Labor ministers Leanne Linard and Meaghan Scanlon shared the pain of losing parents, with Ms Scanlon saying that loss meant she would support VAD laws, while Ms Linard was one of dozens who called on their communities to contact them with their wishes.
“For me, this is a deeply personal issue. I lost both my parents to terminal illnesses in my 20s,” Ms Linard said.
“Earlier this year, I put out the call for people across my electorate to share their stories. Almost 500 have responded.
“They are powerful stories. They make us confront our own mortality and question our role in any decision making around the issue.
“It is the power of their experiences and their stories and my own conscience that will inform my decision in September.”
Ms Scanlon said she appreciated all people held deeply personal opinions but said she could not deny relief or autonomy to the dying.
“I lost my Dad to cancer when I was a teenager,” she said.
“When you watch someone you love go through a long, exhausting and painful battle like that it can’t help but frame your understanding and empathy for those who die in pain.
“Many Queenslanders have experienced the incredible pain of watching someone they love suffer in their last days and weeks.”
LNP health spokeswoman Ros Bates has encouraged her community to contact her with their views as she spoke of her experience as a former nurse.
“I have held the hands of many patients departing this life and I have always ensured that no one in my care or members of my family, died alone, in pain or afraid,” she said.
The majority of the LNP frontbench have said they are reading the report, consulting with their communities or awaiting the outcome of the parliamentary committee probe into the legislation before announcing their intentions.
LNP frontbenchers Brent Mickelberg and Michael Hart were the only two LNP MPs to openly support VAD in principle, although both are still yet to make their minds up.
Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch, who will vote yes, said many families, including her own, had watched loved ones confront end-of-life challenges.
“It’s heartbreaking, it’s painful and it confronts our sense of dignity,” she said.
Regional Development Minister Glenn Butcher said he had heard from many in his community “who have seen their loved ones lying in a hospital bed, gasping for breath, and terminally ill, knowing their life is going to end” and he would support the laws.
“They’re going through it in a dreadful and painful way, and the family has got to sit there and watch them suffer for days, sometimes weeks,” he said.
While a number of Labor MPs have already made up their minds about how they will vote, others are still to consult with their constituents.
Cooper MP Jonty Bush said she personally supported euthanasia but she was elected to represent people living in her electorate.
“Since elected I have actively sought the views of locals on this issue, through an online survey, phone-calls, mobile offices and doorknocking,” she said.
“An overwhelming majority (over 90 per cent of recorded responses) support a voluntary assisted dying framework for Queensland.
“While I can’t imagine that trend changing now with the introduction of the Bill … I do think it’s important people have time to read the draft bill and the QLRC report and come back to me with their feedback.”
Previously undecided Keppel MP Brittany Lauga said she would support the laws after reading the Bill and the QLRC’s report.
Opposition MP Jim McDonald said voluntary assisted dying was a “personal and sensitive matter”, noting his experiences as a police officer had “given me a lot of exposure to life and death”.
Scenic Rim MP Jon Krause said the Bill chose to change the “very values that hold our society together”, and pledged to consider the matter through the committee process.
“Euthanasia evokes strong and sincerely held views on both sides of the argument,” he said.
“It is complex, and could have unintended consequences.”
Currumbin MP Laura Gerber said she believed “no one should die alone or in pain”.
“Now my Currumbin community can see the legislation I will be listening, engaging and ensuring I hear both sides of the debate,” she said.
“I will decide whether I can support the legislation on behalf of the people of Currumbin after I have consulted widely.”
Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson, who will vote no, said: “A good VAD Bill would remove suffering by mandating high levels of palliative treatment so that those with a terminal illness receive the proper care, dignity and pain relief that they are crying out for.”
The Greens two MPs will vote in favour, while Katter’s Australian Party’s three MPs will vote against the laws, with KAP leader Robbie Katter saying he believed creating and preserving life should be “the most primary endeavour of our society”.
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