Kevin Andrews attacks assisted death deal

Liberal Party elder Kevin Andrews has expressed his deep disappointment with Malcolm Turnbull over a euthanasia bill.

Liberal Party MP Kevin Andrews. Picture: AAP

Liberal Party elder and former Howard government minister Kevin Andrews has expressed his deep disappointment with Malcolm Turnbull and warned of a “secret deal” facilitated by the Prime Minister paving the way for introduction of euthanasia in the Northern Territory and ACT.

Mr Andrews was the architect of the 1997 legislation allowing the commonwealth to overturn Australia’s first assisted dying laws in the Northern Territory, brought in by the Country Liberal government of Marshall Perron.

Mr Andrews warned that many people were “dismayed” by revelations in today’s The Australian that the Prime Minister had assured Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm that Coalition MPs would be given a free vote on a bill restoring territory rights.

A motion from Senator Leyonhjelm — which passed the Senate today by 36 to 27 — will allow his bill to “have precedence over all government business” ­between August 14 and 16.

The euthanasia debate is likely to coincide with discussion over the government’s response to the review of religious freedoms conducted by former attorney-general Philip Ruddock which threatens to reopen an ideological divide in Coalition ranks.

The free-vote assurance to Senator Leyonhjelm was given by Mr Turnbull to win the crossbencher’s support for restoration of the Australian Building and Construction Commission — the key issue on which the Coalition called on the 2016 election.

The move is consistent with the decision by John Howard in 1997 to offer MPs a free vote on the issue and government sources today said Senator Leyonhjelm’s bill had not been in a position where it needed to be discussed by the party room.

Raising the question of whether the assurance from Mr Turnbull was a “captain’s call”, Mr Andrews today told The Australian there had been no consultation with him or the partyroom about the decision.

“Many Australians are dismayed by reports that a secret deal has been done to facilitate a process to allow the overturn of the Euthanasia Laws Act,” Mr Andrews said. “Neither the ­Coalition partyroom nor I, as the initiator of the legislation, have been consulted. If true, this is deeply disappointing.”

Tony Abbott also said he was “a little worried about secret deals”. Linking the issue to the government’s handling of the ­debate over the national energy guarantee, Mr Abbott argued that Mr Turnbull was not running a consultative government or seeking the advice of his partyroom.

“The Prime Minister likes to talk about due process. I’m very concerned about lack of due process,” Mr Abbott told Ben Fordham’s 2GB radio program. “The partyroom doesn’t get an ­adequate chance to discuss controversial policies.”

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.

Mr Perron today welcomed the prospect of a free vote, telling The Australian it was “discrimination on the grounds of ­geography alone” to prevent territory governments from making and passing euthanasia laws.

“It’s quite untenable that the half million plus Australians who happen to reside in the territories — the Northern Territory and the ACT — should not be able to elect representatives into their parliaments who have the same authority on matters of dying as do state parliaments in the rest of Australia,” he said.

Senator Leyonhjelm told The Australian the assurance from Mr Turnbull to allow a free vote was made verbally, but witnessed by several people.

He said he had decided to cash in on the pledge because Mr Turnbull was facing his own “internal issues” and the promise would become meaningless if the Liberals lost the next election.