X-Message-Number: 6872
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 08:43:16 -0700
From: David Brandt-Erichsen <>
Subject: Australia update

     From the Sydney Morning Herald     

     September 10, 1996

     Leaders support conscience vote on euthanasia

     By MARGO KINGSTON in Canberra

     The three major party leaders have declared their support for the
     anti-euthanasia private member's bill introduced into Federal
     Parliament yesterday, as lobbying began to decide the fate of the
     first bill subject to a genuine conscience vote in 22 years.

     The Euthanasia Laws Bill would declare the Northern Territory,
     ACT and Norfolk Islands legally incapable of making laws allowing
     terminally ill patients to ask their doctors or anyone else to
     end their lives or assist in their suicide.

     But it stops short of banning euthanasia around Australia to
     avoid States-righters' opposition, and all three NT politicians
     will oppose it as a denial of self-government for the Territories
     when the bill is debated next week. A vote is expected next
     month.

     The bill, tabled by conservative Liberal Mr Kevin Andrews, comes
     after the NT Supreme Court threw out a challenge to the NT law,
     the first in the world to give patients the right to ask their
     doctor to help them die.

     The Prime Minister, Mr Howard, who decided to allow the free
     vote, yesterday confirmed his support, as did National Party
     leader Mr Fischer. The Opposition Leader, Mr Beazley, supports it
     in principle, subject to studying the bill's detail.

     But NSW Labor MP Mr Anthony Albanese and South Australian Liberal
     MP Ms Chris Gallus joined forces to lead opposition to the bill:
     Ms Gallus said the NT law "takes away the power of the doctor and
     puts it where it should be - with the patient".

     The last genuine conscience vote on a Federal bill was in 1974,
     when the Coalition allowed its members a free vote on the Family
     Law legislation on no-fault divorce. (It allowed a free vote on
     the Sex Discrimination bill in 1986, but only after several
     members threatened to cross the floor.)

     Liberal and Labor opponents fear it is the first of several
     attempts by the conservative Coalition parliamentary group, the
     Lyons Forum, to drag the Federal Parliament into moral issues.
     One Liberal opponent said "there's a real danger the moral
     minority will drag us into a moral morass, and the next cab off
     the rank will be abortion".

     The bill will split both parties across factional lines, with
     Catholic Liberal moderates voting for the bill, and some
     libertarian dries voting against it on the individual rights
     grounds.

     Mr Kevin Andrews, a core member of the Lyons forum, said he
     believed two-thirds of the Coalition would vote for the bill in
     the House of Representatives, and about 50 per cent of Labor
     members.


Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6872