X-Message-Number: 6929
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 06:14:54 -0700
From: David Brandt-Erichsen <>
Subject: Australia update

>From The Age, Melbourne, 18 September, 1996
BACKBENCH BID TO HALT ACTION ON EUTHANASIA
By Karen Middleton, Laura Tingle

Federal Government backbenchers yesterday urged the withdrawal of a
controversial private member's bill to overturn the Northern Territory's
euthanasia law after heated debate on the issue erupted in the coalition
party room.

Amid growing concerns that the bill is causing unnecessary division in the
coalition and could delay the Government's legislative timetable, several
MPs yesterday sought support to have it withdrawn.

The move followed a meeting of more than 20 MPs in the Speaker's office last
week at which the Government unsuccessfully tried to have debate on the bill
pushed into the Main Committee, the low-profile third parliamentary chamber
that deals with House of Representatives business.

Mr Peter McGauran, a Victorian National Party MP, is believed to have
represented the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, at the meeting, arguing that
the Government should not put off other legislative business to deal with
the bill.

The bill, produced by Mr Kevin Andrews, a Victorian Liberal MP, was
introduced to Parliament last week. The next stage of debate has been
delayed until next month at the earliest.

In a party-room discussion believed to have lasted about half an hour,
coalition backbench speakers yesterday called on Mr Andrews to withdraw his
bill, largely because they believed it would be politically damaging to the
Government.

Mr Wilson Tuckey, a senior Western Australian backbench MP, is believed to
have told his colleagues he thought the bill was creating disunity and that
the Government would not be able to control the extent of debate once it
reached the Senate. He is believed to have said this could delay the passage
of important pieces of Government legislation.

Sources said Mr Eoin Cameron, a Western Australian MP, called for a show of
hands on whether the bill should be withdrawn.

Some MPs believe there is a danger that anti-abortionists could seek to move
amendments to the euthanasia bill so it included a ban on abortion.


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