Archbishop Mark Coleridge slams right to die politics

Brisbane Catholic Archbishop Mark Coleridge has slammed the ‘politicisation’ of voluntary euthanasia after the state government announced it was delaying its legislation.

Brisbane Catholic Archbishop Mark Coleridge. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Brisbane Catholic Archbishop Mark Coleridge has slammed the “politicisation” of voluntary euthanasia after the state government roped in a leader of the right-to-die lobby to announce it was delaying its legislation.

As revealed by The Australian, the government walked away from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s election pledge to put a bill before state parliament in February to legalise voluntary assisted dying.

But with Ms Palaszczuk on Christmas leave, it was left to her deputy, Steven Miles, and Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman to explain why the legislation was being delayed until May.

They fronted the media alongside David Muir, chair of the pro-VAD Clem Jones Trust, which is key to both prosecuting and funding the case for reform.

While Dr Coleridge welcomed the delay, saying “it will allow the proper parliamentary process to be followed”, he also said Mr Muir’s participation in the announcement compounded concern it had been politicised by Ms Palaszczuk’s surprise move during the election campaign to advance the timetable to legislate and that she would vote for VAD,

“It just suggests a hand-in-glove arrangement between a blatantly partisan lobby group and the government on an issue where there are clearly very divergent views in the community,” Dr Coleridge said.

“I am uncomfortable, and I think others are as well, with … what seems to be a very cosy working relationship between the government and the Clem Jones Trust.”

Mr Miles was contacted and declined to comment.

The government backdown came after the Queensland Law Reform Commission, charged with drafting the legislation, told the government it would struggle to meet Ms Palaszczuk’s deadline to have the bill ready for parliament early next year.

Separately, veteran VAD campaigner Everald Compton warned Ms Palaszczuk risked undermining public confidence in the law if it was seen to be rushed.

Confirming that the QLRC would now report next May 10, Ms Fentiman rejected LNP ­criticism that this amounted to a broken election promise.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli reaffirmed that LNP MPs would have a conscience vote on the bill, but he also said that he was disappointed “when something about life and death becomes about politics during an election campaign”.

The director-general of the state Department of Justice and Attorney-General, David Mackie, told a parliamentary budget estimates hearing on Monday that he knew on October 23, five days after Ms Palaszczuk’s announcement to advance the timing, that there was problem with the legislation. This was because the QLRC could not advertise the opening of public consultation during the pre-election caretaker period.

The holdup is now being blamed by the government for forcing its hand on delaying the introduction date. But Mr Miles insisted this had an upside because MPs would vote on the “best possible bill”, which would also be “very carefully considered” by a parliamentary committee on its introduction.

“We will take into account this additional time in the drafting of the bill when we consider an implementation time frame, in effect ensuring that these new laws … will be effective and available to Queenslanders on the same time frame,” he said.

It will make Queensland the third state after Victoria and Western Australia to embrace the right to die.