Voluntary euthanasia laws placed ‘under review’ by Andrews Government

VOLUNTARY euthanasia laws will be introduced to State Parliament next year, with Premier Daniel Andrews vowing to vote in favour of the changes.

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VOLUNTARY euthanasia laws will be introduced to State Parliament next year, Premier Daniel Andrews has revealed.

Mr Andrews said a Bill would be drafted after an expert panel advises the government on a safe and compassionate framework for assisted dying in Victoria.

The Premier said there would be strict boundaries in place, pointing to a parliamentary committee report that recommended only people with a terminal illness and of sound mind, who are at the end of their life, be allowed to ask a doctor to help them die.

A survey of Legislative Council MPs, which will have the final say on proposed laws if they get through the Legislative Assembly, found almost half were likely to support assisted dying laws.

Several others said they were undecided, or could not be contacted.

But critics of euthanasia tonight attacked the move as “state-sanctioned suicide”.

Premier Andrews said he would vote in favour of voluntary euthanasia laws.

Mr Andrews said he had changed his mind on the issue, which he had previously voted against introducing to Victoria.

“I will be voting for this bill,” he said.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Jill Hennessy. Picture: Susan Windmiller

Mr Andrews said the announcement was not a reflection of the health system “as good as the care is, in every setting it is not the choice for everyone.”

“Because of the way our laws are made, (with) a small number of people, we deny them that compassion.”

He said he had not always supported euthanasia but his “view had changed” following the death of his father.

“This year my family went through what many families go through in this state and that made me reflect,” Mr Andrews said.

The death of Daniel Andrews’ father Bob changed his mind on the laws. Picture: Jay Town

Bob Andrews’ death forced Daniel Andrews to reflect on his position. Picture: Jay Town

And with legislation set to introduced by the end of next year, voluntary euthanasia could be made legal in Victoria by 2019.

Patients must be a Victorian resident and an Australian citizen to qualify.

Mr Andrews said introducing the proposed laws would avoid inevitable private member’s bills on the same issue.

He said the bill would “reflect the boundaries” set by the parliamentary committee report on End of Life Choices released earlier this year.

He also ruled out the threat of the Federal Government intervening if the bill passed the Victorian Parliament.

Labor members would be allowed to vote with their conscience.

He called for a respectful debate when the laws are introduced into the Victorian Parliament in late 2017.

A discussion paper will be released for public consultation in early 2017.

However it is too early to predict whether the bill will pass.

Speaking today, Health Minister Jill Hennessy said “death is one of the most intimate and unavoidable issues” and it would be a difficult debate for some people in the parliament.

Ms Hennessy said under the proposed model two doctors must assess the patient and there were would be protections against “coercion”.

Attorney-General Martin Pakula said a previous push by the Greens to introduce such laws in 2008 had been without the resources of government.

Mr Pakula had voted against the Greens’ Private Members’ Bill at that time.

“I was someone who supported voluntary assisted dying but voted against it (the Bill) at the time,” he said.

Mr Pakula said some questions around the model had not yet been answered and would be worked on with an expert independent panel and the Department of a Justice and Regulation.

“Our job is to get the drafting right, the details right and the technical details right,” Mr Pakula said.

Sex Party MP Fiona Patten said she “intended to work tirelessly” to make sure the legislation is right and it is supported by as many parliamentarians as possible.

Ms Patten made the motion for a parliamentary inquiry which prompted the latest proposal.

Greens spokeswoman Nina Springle welcomed a bill but said the “vote could be tight in both houses”.

She confirmed all Greens members would support the move.

Experts to develop new euthanasia laws

The news comes after the Herald Sun reported a new legal framework that would allow terminally ill people to ask a doctor to help them die, would be devised by the expert panel.

The Andrews Government today tabled its response to a parliamentary committee report on End of Life Choices, which recommended a range of changes to palliative care and advanced medical treatment.

The most controversial recommendation, that the government “introduce a legal framework providing for assisted dying” — allowing for voluntary euthanasia — was listed as “under review”.

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Voluntary euthanasia laws to go before Victorian Parliament

The Herald Sun reported today it understood that the government was prepared to introduce the legislation to parliament next year, but wanted an independent panel to advise it on the most suitable model.

State MPs would then be given a conscience vote in parliament on whether to adopt the radical new laws.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Jill Hennessy today held a press conference later today to outline the plan.

In its response to the Legal and Social Issues Committee report, which was tabled earlier this year, the government said there was a “lack the legal, clinical and organisational detail about the implementation, practicalities and issues related to introducing an assisted dying framework”.

“Further significant and detailed work would need to be undertaken considering the implementation of this recommendation, including the role and membership of the proposed Implementation Taskforce and the Assisted Dying Review Board,” it says.

The taskforce was proposed by the committee to structure a way forward on the controversial and hot political issue, while the board was proposed to oversee any voluntary euthanasia laws created in Victoria.

Voluntary euthanasia is a hotly contested political issue, with a push by the Greens to create laws in 2008 defeated comprehensively in the Legislative Council.

Sources say that almost a decade later, some views inside the upper house have changed and a vote is likely to be lineball.

Ms Patten welcomed the potential introduction of assisted dying.

Sex Party MP Fiona Patten. Picture: Supplied

“This is about respecting people’s dignity, so someone with a terminal illness can choose to die surrounded by family and friends in as much comfort as possible,” she said.

Ms Patten initiated the End of Life Choices Inquiry last year which resulted in the recommendations for better end of life care in Victoria.

“I said I would do everything possible to get change on physician assisted dying in my first term. That’s why I started the End of Life Choices Inquiry and I am proud the Government is following the report’s recommendations.”

Greens health spokesperson Colleen Hartland said “the government should support the framework recommended by the inquiry”.

Greens MP Colleen Hartland. Picture: Hamish Blair

“That will give the best chance getting the support required to pass this law,” she said.

“Consultation with affected communities needs to start today, because their concerns need to be heard and factored into the legislation,” she said.

Other upper house MPs are likely to campaign hard against change, with Liberal MP Inga Peulich and Labor MP Daniel Mulino already voting against the inquiry report when it was devised earlier this year.

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