Ex Chief Minister and euthanasia champion Marshall Perron behind push for renewal of NT’s voluntary euthanasia laws
FORMER Chief Minister Marshall Perron is urging federal Lower House MPs to sponsor a new push to restore the Territory’s right to pass voluntary euthanasia laws
Northern Territory
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FORMER Chief Minister Marshall Perron and champion of Australia’s original euthanasia laws is urging federal lower house MPs to sponsor a new push to restore the Territory’s right to pass voluntary euthanasia laws.
Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have struck a deal between allowing Coalition MPs a free vote.
A motion to debate the bill will be put to the Senate today with the support of Labor, the Greens and five other crossbenchers as part of a campaign to overturn 20-year-old laws that ban the territories from making their own laws for assisted suicide.
But the bill will need a sponsor in the Lower House.
“Because this is a private members bill it has to have an independent sponsor in both houses to be debated,” Mr Perron, 76, said.
“Historically for whatever reason in the House of representatives, the Northern Territory has never had a singular champion for us and it is important we do.”
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The NT News has contacted both of the Territory’s Labor Lower House MPs, Warren Snowdon and Luke Gosling, for comment and is awaiting a response.
The Australian newspaper reported today the move for a free vote was consistent with the conscience vote allowed by John Howard in 1997.
It follows the recent passage of assisted-suicide laws in the Victorian parliament.
The Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) Bill would overturn the “Andrews laws”, named after conservative federal Liberal backbencher Kevin Andrews, who successfully led the push in 1997 against the Northern Territory’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act.
Senator Leyonhjelm is confident there are the numbers in parliament to succeed, with Labor signalling it will allow a free vote on the issue, the Greens offering party support along with five crossbenchers, and the Prime Minister offering a free vote if the motion succeeds today in the Senate.
The Australian understands that One Nation senators Pauline Hanson and Peter Georgiou have promised Senator Leyonhjelm their backing, along with Brian Burston and Derryn Hinch.
The two Centre Alliance senators and newly elected Tim Storer are also believed to have offered their support.
It is understood that Mr Turnbull agreed to allow a free vote for Coalition members and senators as part of a deal to secure the Liberal Democrat senator’s support for the restoration of the Australian Building and Construction Commission in 2016.
“I have a personal assurance from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that if the Senate agrees to provide time for debate, his party will allow a free vote,” Senator Leyonhjelm said. “Further, if my bill passes in the Senate, he will also allow it to be debated and voted on in the House of Representatives.
“My bill addresses two issues: territory rights and the right to die. I am a firm believer in both.
“As a Liberal Democrat I believe in the right of individuals to end their lives painlessly at a time of their choosing, as do the majority of Australians. The commonwealth should mind its own business on this issue and remove legal impediments to states and territories establishing their own euthanasia legislation.”
The bill would likely be debated and voted on in August when parliament resumes from the winter break. Mr Turnbull made it clear during the Victorian debate that he did not support voluntary euthanasia. “If there was a vote on it again tomorrow, I would not vote for it,” he said at the time.
Senior Liberal conservatives have privately warned they will campaign vigorously against any moves to allow a free vote for Coalition MPs.
The issue risks sparking a brawl within the Liberal party room similar to the one that marked the same-sex marriage debate.
The Philip Ruddock-led review into religious freedom, likely to be another flashpoint for conservative Coalition MPs, has reported to the government, with the final report not yet released by Mr Turnbull.
Senator Leyonhjelm said he expected the issue to spark a conservative backlash but believed that attitudes had changed so much over the past 20 years that a majority in both houses would prevail. “I think there is a good chance it will become a vigorous debate,” he said.
He acknowledged there were still many members “who don’t want to see any change”.
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